I read this book out of boredom quite a while back, it would have been about 1990. I cannot remember the author, or the title, but I can remember the plot. I’ll type out most of what I can remember, in the hopes that someone will recognize it and be able to attach the correct name.
It was about a harsh world being colonized, and a young woman’s adventures on it. I believe the title is something along the lines of “The Lady Who Sang (with? to?) Tigers” but have had no luck at all searching any combinations of this for years.
She came to the world to work with the horses that are used for logging, her guild ranking is “Journeyman”. Each person who comes to the planet must “earn their keep”, they are a form of indentured servants, a company loaned them the money to settle, now they must produce enough goods to pay off the debt as a community. I believe the exploration society is called something like “First Inners” in the book. It’s set in winter, and everyone must take iron (?) supplements, because the world is poor in iron.
Trouble begins when the planet’s native cat like creatures (called tigers, but they are feathered, and have blue blood) lose their fear of humans, and begin first harassing, then attacking the loggers. Some of the leaders of the settlement decide that the tigers are not “sentient” but the lead character feels they are wrong, and sets out to find the truth. She is helped and encouraged by the “First In” team that is in residence on the planet. (The tigers “sing”, and she thinks they show signs of intelligence.)
She encounters a male tiger who doesn’t harm her, but “adopts” her. She quickly finds out that this creature can “speak”, using notes. She learns the rudiments of language from this male, who teaches her using the “indicate an object, say the name” technique. (Her name translates as "Soapy baby, or “Rose Cub” I believe. This is because she rubbed her soap on a stone rather than pee on it to scent mark it, so she wouldn’t risk freezing. The notes for her name are the first 3 notes of “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”)
There is a cultural clash in that the “tigers” are nomadic, and don’t understand a human’s need for shelter, and packs of vitamin supplements. They don’t live in permanent dwellings at all, and cannot understand that one who speaks may need shelter from the bitter cold in a tent. Their history is oral, and they compete to have the “longest name” to sing, each deed they do is added into their “name song”.
She eventually learns that the “tigers” can even rattle off complex math equations when listening to the male who adopted her give out directions to a female tiger. Their number system is based differently than ours, I think it’s based on threes, but am not certain.
She then has to struggle to prevent the settlers from provoking an all out war with the “tigers”, and get the proof out that the tigers are sentient beings to the “First In” team, who hold authority over such matters. She also has to prevent a “rogue” tiger from attacking the settlement, and provoking a war. She becomes sponsored into the “First In” program, along with the male tiger in the end. There’s more to it than that, but I’m not going to reveal the in depth plot twists in the book.
Can anyone give this book it’s title, and maybe even author, please? crosses fingers
