The WildingsA thrillingly original story of the adventures of a small band of feral cats in Delhi who communicate by whisker mind-link, and face an unprecedented threat to their tribe's survival; for readers of Life of Pi and Philip Pullman. In the labyrinthine alleys and ruins of Nizamuddin, an old neighbourhood in Delhi, India, lives a small band of cats. Miao, the clan elder, a wise, grave Siamese; Katar, loved by his followers and feared by his enemies; Hulo, the great warrior tom; Beraal, the beautiful queen, swift and deadly when challenged; Southpaw, the kitten whose curiosity can always be counted on to get him into trouble... Unfettered and wild, these and the other members of the tribe fear no one, go where they will, and do as they please. Until one day, a terrified orange-coloured kitten with monsoon green eyes and remarkable powers lands in their midst--the first in a series of extraordinary events that threatens to annihilate them and everything they hold dear. The Wildings is a gorgeous evocation of Delhi, a love paean to cats and a rich, often savage tale of survival and conquering one's fears. |
Contents
A New Arrival | 1 |
Hide and Seek | 12 |
A View to a Kill | 18 |
Brawl at the Baoli | 36 |
The Senders First Walk | 51 |
The Shuttered House | 66 |
Daturas Domain | 82 |
Southpaw Makes a Friend | 106 |
Miao and the Cheels | 207 |
The Summer of the Crows | 214 |
A Feral Hunger | 232 |
Fear in the Dark | 240 |
Into Battle | 251 |
Blood Rain | 266 |
The Wildings Last Stand | 275 |
Kirris Dance | 294 |
Maras Kingdom | 129 |
First Blood | 154 |
The Tigers Tale | 176 |
A Shift in the Wind | 189 |
Unshuttered | 199 |
The Cheel and the Cat | 303 |
Epilogue | 313 |
Acknowledgements | 321 |
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Common terms and phrases
Aconite asked attack baoli battle began Beraal Bigfoot birds blood canal cat's clan claws close crows curled dargah cats Datura door ears eyes face fear feathers feel ferals fight flanks flicked friends ground growled head heard hedges Hulo Hulo's Humayun's Tomb hunt inside cat Junglee Katar kill Kirri langur lantana looked Mara Mara's Miao Miao's mice mongoose mouse moved mynah birds Neferkitty never night Nizamuddin cats nose orange kitten Ozymandias Ozzy padded pariah cheel park paws predator prey Qawwali queen rain Rani rats Ratsbane rooftops Rudra scent scrabbled seemed Sender sending Shuttered House Siamese side smell sniffed sorry Southpaw felt squirrels stairs stared stay stepwell Stoop stopped tail talons Tantara teeth tell thought throat tiger cub Tigris tiny told tomcat Tooth tree trying turned twitched voice wall washed watched whiskers white cat wildings wondered