History[]
Riggu Felis' army was the Feral Cat Army of Green Isle. The catguards numbered at least 200. There were two kinds of officers in the catguards: Weilmarks, or captains of the guard, and Scorecats, who each commanded 20 catguards (as their name suggests).
The catguard army originated from a time long before the events of High Rhulain, being in well in existence around the time of Salamandastron. According to Riggu Felis, the feral cats were originally subservient slaves to more powerful masters. The wildcats apparently liberated the cats (seemingly selectively bred from the Redwall equivalent of African Wildcats) by defeating the masters. The cats became the wildcats' military forces.
The Feral Cat Army's first chronologically recorded military operation was the boarding of the ship of High Queen Rhulain Wildlough and Corriam Wildlough. The cats were continually cut down but they eventually overpowered and killed the Queen and severely wounded Corriam. The result of the battle, even with the High Queen's heroic last stand, was the near decimation of the Wildlough otter clan and the end of monarchical rule of Green Isle for many generations. The cats at this battle were described by Corriam to Runa Wildlough as 'wildcats', but this was probably due to the lack of encounters with domestic cats among the Green Isle otters.
Dominance[]
The feral cats proceeded to occupy Green Isle, based out of the fortress, a former Wildlough stronghold, for potentially hundreds, or even thousands, of seasons. Over this time the otter clans were enslaved to the wildcat rulers. The catguards seem to have been a militaristic society, comparable to the Long Patrol, but far less benevolent. They treated the otters with high levels of brutality, using methods such as restraining suspects under frigid lake water as punishment, or, the ultimate sanction, casting otters into the Deeplough for Slothunog's consumption. Weilmark Scaut and Scorecat Groodl were known and despised among otterslaves (and even catguards) for their violent treatment of slaves (and feline recruits).
Over time, many otters escaped from slavery and formed outlaw clans. For some time, these clans engaged the catguards in asymmetric guerrilla warfare. The catguards, due to the long but successful campaign waged by the otter outlaws, began to lose their adeptness as professional soldiers. They stagnated to a state which Riggu Felis, being the ruler of Green Isle, despised. He hoped to restore them to being "warriors once more". Even then, the catguards had far more weaponry, personnel, equipment, supplies, and professional training than the otter rebels, who were a small band of freedom fighters with training coming from personal and familial experience and equipment coming from the land beneath their paws. Whereas the otters wore little to no armor at all, the catguards wore helmets and body armor. The catguards wielded spears for close range combat, bows and arrows for long range attacks and some members used swords and daggers.
Failure[]
The Feral Cat Army was constantly beaten back by the otter clans' ingenuity. For example, just when the catguard strike force was about to attack the otter outlaw non-combatants, those same non-combatants lay traps on the ground, preventing the enemy troops from advancing. Only when the outlaw rebel leader Leatho Shellhound was captured in an ingenious trap did the tides turn. The otter clans under Kolun Galedeep attempted to engage the catguards in open war, in which they would almost certainly lose. Even if they won, Leatho would have been executed. It was the timely arrival of a platoon of Long Patrol hares, led by Tiria Wildlough, the legendary High Rhulain, and Major Cuthbert Blanedale Frunk, that allowed the otter clans to engage the catguards in open war on an even footing. Leatho escaped their captivity and the insanity of Lady Kaltag led to the burning down of the fortress. Felis was killed by Tiria's well-aimed sling shot. Pitru had left the vicinity long before this, with a large group of renegade catguards. Seeing their leader now dead, the catguards tried to flee but most were cut down by Long Patrol hares and Green Isle otters. Some left the field of battle. A group of catguards led by Weilmark Scaut found them selves being assimilated into Pitru's rebel forces. They set up a barricade on the rim of Deeplough. Cuthbert Blanedale Frunk, overcome by the Bloodwrath, drove straight into the catguard ranks and took Pitru with him down into the lake along with many catguards. They were killed by Slothunog, before the creature was killed by Frunk. With the deaths of the survivors the feral cat legacy came to an end.
Soldiers[]
The following consists of known members of the Feral Cat Army:
Royal Family[]
- Riggu Felis (Warlord)
- Pitru (son of Felis)
- Jeefra (son of Felis)
- Lady Kaltag (wife of Felis)
Captains[]
- Captain of the Guard: Weilmark Scaut
Officers (Scorecats)[]
Common Catguards[]
Books[]
The army appeared in High Rhulain.
Trivia[]
- The Feral Cat Army is the largest known collective of felines in the entire Redwall series, most other cats being either warlords (eg. Tsarmina Greeneyes, Verdauga Greeneyes, or Ungatt Trunn) or peaceful farmers (eg. Gingivere Greeneyes or Squire Julian Gingivere).
- The Feral Cat Army is unusual among enemy hordes as it consists of trained professionals.