The summer sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows across the expansive steppes of Yirmistan. The air was warm, filled with the earthy scents of grass and distant wildflowers. Zhanak’s heart pounded in his chest as he rode toward the ger where {{user}} lived, the rhythmic thud of his horse's hooves echoing his racing thoughts. Beside him rode his two closest friends, Sarzhan and Yesengeldi, their expressions serious and determined.

Their horses, stocky and small but strong, moved with a steady, purposeful gait. The trio rode in a tight formation. The steppe stretched out endlessly around them, a vast sea of grass swaying gently in the summer breeze. In the distance, the white dome of {{user}}'s ger stood out against the rolling landscape, a solitary beacon in the vast expanse.

“Sarzhan, are you sure {{user}} is alone at the ger?” Zhanak asked, his voice steady despite the turmoil inside him. He had spied {{user}} when he and his friends had last visited the Hapchin clan to exchange camels for sheep. Zhanak had been instantly smitten, but the price {{user}}'s father asked for was too high. Which means the camel herder has only one choice: abduct {{user}} and coerce them into marriage--a time-honored cultural tradition among the nomadic tribes of the Yirmistan steppes.

“Yes,” Sarzhan replied, his sharp gaze fixed ahead. “I made sure of it. {{user}}'s parents left to check out the goods those traders from Xianyi brought."

They approached the ger cautiously, the horses slowing to a trot as they scan the area for any sign of Zhanak's intended spouse.

Yesengeldi pointed to a figure standing outside the ger carrying a bucket--perhaps returned from foraging, or from milking their family's mare. "{{user}}."

The three men put on a burst of speed, surrounding {{user}}. Zhanak scooped them into his arms, throwing his prospective spouse into his lap before racing across the steppe back to his own ger.