Wild Moose Chase by Siobhan Rowden Page A

beefy!”
    Genghis completely ignored him and continued munching.
    Cam and Zogs galloped towards the line of flags in the distance. She saw one of the Easy Cheesy Doggy Treats men still heading the other way towards the rock-star. He had given up trying to ride his tiny yak and was now sprinting forward, carrying it on his back. The yak seemed undisturbed and was nibbling on one of his long embroidered ears.
    She could see the others ahead of her and dug her knees in even tighter. Zogs pounded towards them, throwing Cam from side to side. She lost her hold and began sliding down again until she was completely under the yak. She gripped the long hair with all her might as the ground beneath flew past.
    From her upside-down position she could see Bert and Genghis far behind. Genghis was now following one of the other yaks and was mooing amorously at it.
    â€œThis is no time for romance!” yelled Bert.
    Cam clung to Zogs’ belly like a baby monkey. She didn’t know how long she could hold on like this or how far the finish line was. The tighter she gripped, the faster Zogs went, and soon they had overtaken everyone except the Specialist Cheesemaker in white.
    â€œFaster, Zogs!” she shouted. “We can’t let him win.”
    Zogs seemed to respond, but just as they were level with them, Cam felt the bottle of moose milk in her pocket come loose. But she couldn’t let go of the speeding yak, and as they crossed the finish line to great cheers, the bottle fell from her coat and smashed into the hard ground, splashing the precious moose milk everywhere.

 
    Trek to Kazakhstan
    Cam had won the yak race. Attila caught hold of Zogs and she let go of the yak’s hairy belly and rolled out from under its hooves. He pulled Cam to her feet and held her arm up and shouted something in Mongolian. The surrounding crowd started cheering wildly. The man in white from the Specialist Cheese Association scowled at her as he climbed down from his yak. She had beaten him by a horn. The other competitors came trotting in. Bert was second to last, followed by the Easy Cheesy Doggy Treats man, who was still carrying his yak on his back. One ear of his doggy suit had been completely chewed off.
    Attila lifted Cam up and sat her on his shoulders. A woman approached them wearing the Mongolian national costume – a scarlet floor-length tunic with a high collar. It was embroidered with gold and silver braid. Bright blue tassels hung down from her elaborate round hat. She held up a velvet cushion with a small ceramic pot of rennet on top. Cam accepted her prize and the crowd cheered enthusiastically.
    â€œWell done, Cam!” cried Attila, setting her down on her feet. “You have nerves of steel. You’ve shown that I, Attila, own some of the fastest yaks in Mongolia.”
    The crowd started to disperse and Bert came shuffling over with Genghis gently pushing against him.
    â€œOK, OK,” he muttered to the yak. “I shouldn’t have called you beefy, but you shouldn’t have slowed down. Now I’ve lost the race to my rotten sister. She’s got the rennet and I’m never going to be Lord Curd.”
    Genghis mooed sympathetically as Bert looked over at Cam.
    â€œI suppose you want me to congratulate you,” he said. “But there should be a rule about riding a yak upside down. It’s just not fair.”
    Cam burst out crying. “It doesn’t matter,” she wailed. “I lost my moose milk. It’s all gone!”
    Attila put his enormous tree trunk arm around her. “Are you not happy to win?” he asked.
    â€œI haven’t won,” she sobbed. “You don’t understand. I can’t win the Great Moose Cheese Chase without my milk. I’ve lost everything – the prize money, the title, our farm, my grandpa’s trust – everything!”
    â€œWhat is this Great Meese Chase Choose?” asked Attila.
    Cam was sobbing too hard