Varjak Paw

Holly has an idea of where they can find food, but she needs Varjak to blend in for her plan to work. Varjak enjoys being filthy now that his mother isn’t around to groom him, but Holly has him clean himself so that humans won’t notice him and try to catch him. She then chews off his collar, which falls into a sewer. They pass near Sally Bones’ territory and hide in the shadows when one of her lieutenants, a striped and scarred tomcat named Razor, swaggers by with six other cats. Tam points out the crossroads that marks the gangs’ territory and warns Varjak never to cross this boundary.

Holly leads the way to Trafalgar Square, and Varjak and Tam marvel at the majesty of the four bronze lion statues. Tam whispers, “That’s what we should be” (133). Varjak believes that it’s possible for them to attain the lions’ grandeur. The square is in neutral territory, which means the pigeons who congregate there are fair game. Holly asks Varjak to try to catch one of the birds. Tam accuses Holly of meanly teasing Varjak by issuing such a challenge, but he can tell that Holly’s being sincere.