Holly

Holly
Affiliations
Previous	Loner Rogue
Current	Varjak's Gang Free Cat
Appearance
Fur Details	Short, spiky, black-and-white
Eye Details	Mustard colored One mustard, one icy blue.
Information
Gender	Female
Status	Alive
Book Appearances
Alive	Deceased
Varjak Paw The Outlaw Varjak Paw	None

Holly is a rogue whom Varjak meets on his first day in the city. Together with her best friend Tam, she joins Varjak on his mission to find a dog to save his family.

Biography

Holly is a black and white she-cat who accompanies Varjak on his quests. Holly knows the city more than Varjak does, so she leads him most of the time. Holly was impresed by the way that Varjak fights and hunts so she is unafraid to be with him. She is fierce and knows not to trust anyone she doesn't know, which is the right thing to do. Luckily she gained Varjak's friendship, as he now keeps her safe from any harm. Holly knows what she is doing and is always prepared for danger. With her quick thinking Varjak is not afraid to take risks.

Book Appearances

Varjak Paw

Holly first meets Varjak in a park, letting him shelter in a hut with her, even though she thinks he is a gang member at first, until she spots his collar. Knowing that he is just a house cat, she does not mind letting him stay for the night anymore. The next day she appears with Tam, a scared brown she-cat, who is introduced as her best friend. Varjak explains how he needs to find a dog to save his family from the Gentleman and Holly makes fun of him, since no cat would ever talk to a dog. After a while they begin to talk about the gangs which are living all around the city and mention one of Holly's friend who disappeared shortly after he joined a gang. Even though Tam suggests that Varjak and the two of them could become friends, Holly runs off, saying that she cannot trust anyone, Tam at her heels. She later saves Varjak, when he was attacked by Ginger's gang, and with that, they then become friends.

Holly seems to know more about the city than Varjak, although she didn't hunt until Varjak learned it. She doesn't believe him, when he says he would know how to hunt, what leads her to be a bit impressed, when the tom cat actually manages to catch a mouse in a dark alley.

When they want to search for some more food in the park, Tam tells Varjak about "her" who is Sally Bones, a white cat with one eye missing, about how just saying her name makes her more powerful. Holly doesn't believe in those things, as they sound like nothing but tales to her.

As Holly and Tam show Varjak around, Tam goes missing, Holly then mentions again why she trusts no one. While Holly and Varjak look for her, Varjak finds a robotic cat that looks like Tam, he thinks it's Tam, but Holly reassures him by saying that she doesn't keep her fur that clean, and it's just a toy. He questions why would anyone want one, Holly explains that humans buy them because they don't need the care that real cats do. They then start looking for Tam again. After a while, they meet Razor, a member of Sally Bones' gang, and starts to hit on Holly, Varjak defends her, only to then be locked in battle, Holly brakes up the battle and Razor disappears.

That night, Varjak and Holly wake up to meet Sally Bones. Sally challenges Razor for not telling her about the newcomers, until finally she attacks Varjak, a dog chases away everyone except Varjak and Holly. To Holly's amazement, Varjak then speaks with the dog, whose name turns out to be Cludge, and he, Varjak and Holly become friends.

Throughout the book, they stick together, when Varjak leads them back to his home, to save his family, when the only way to get inside the yard is up a tree and leaping off the wall, Cludge stays behind, being unable to climb, Holly and Varjak continue the adventure without him. When they walk through the cat-door, it locks behind them, Varjak then meets with his family, when he tries to save them, they refuse, Holly appears and tells Varjak that the gentleman has hundreds of stray cats in a cage, and they must find a way out. And Varjak's family tells him he must choose to stay with his family, or Holly. As he chooses his family, Holly is then taken away by the Gentleman and his two black cats. Holly is locked in a massive cage, reunited with Tam, but then realizes that the Gentleman will turn them into toys, by taking a pretty tortoiseshell, and turning her into a toy similar to the one her and Varjak saw in the shop.

Varjak unlocks the gate, with that, they try to get out, only to see that the two black cats are blocking the way, Varjak then attacks them, who almost kill him, but with Holly's advise to rip off their collars, when he rips off one, it falls to the ground, the other one then stares at it's counter-part, it then submits, sticking out it's neck, Varjak then snaps off the collar.

The Gentleman then holds Varjak paw's older brother Julius as a threat, Cludge then leaps through the window and chases off the Gentleman, Holly forgives Varjak. Cludge then tells them how they needed his help, so he climbed, Holly and Varjak are then reunited with their friends. When Varjak suggests make a gang, Holly denies.

The Outlaw Varjak Paw

Holly appears to be a friend of Varjak, along with Tam and Cludge. She seems to know a lot about the city, so she leads them around. Along the way, they meet a patrol of Sally Bones' cats. Holly witnesses a fight between Varjak and Razor. Varjak almost kills Razor and Holly stopped him. Then, she takes him to the Free Cats. She hides with Varjak and shares his horror when Luger mentions they are outlaws. She helps Jessie escape from Sally Bones' gang, and is suspected to be killed by falling of an electric wire, trying to cross it from escaping from Sally Bones' gang. Varjak screams her name when she falls.

She is only seen else near the end when Varjak fights the last time. She has a brief conversation about one of her eyes, which possibly due to Sally Bones, has turned ice-blue. Sally Bones takes her back in, telling him to fight her if he wants Holly back. Varjak fights Sally Bones' gang and she swings on a rope to make the bell ring, so Varjak can catch his breath. At the end, Holly and Varjak become mates. She cleans his wounds, telling him he's very brave

Trivia

• Holly is portrayed differently on the illustrations of Varjak Paw and The Outlaw Varjak Paw. The first novel shows her as a mostly white she-cat with black spots on her back, tail and eye, whereas the second novel portrays her with an almost entirely black head, save for the areas of the muzzle, bridge of the nose and forehead. The left side of her black markings flow down to her throat.

Tree

Missing Generations

Holly

    = Male

    = Female

Quotes

"Well, there's no going back from here. You've started something big, and I'm with you all the way, whatever happens."

—Holly to Varjak

"I've been having dreams, Varjak, such strange dreams. And now everything looks so... different."

—Holly to Varjak after her eye turns blue