The Flitchaye
The Flitchaye were small, skinny weasels who lived in a forest north of Mossflower Woods. They lived in small burrows in the ground, with sod lids that covered the holes. The Flitchaye terrorized passing travelers by sending them to sleep with drugged herbal smoke, before capturing, looting, and torturing them. They were once referred to as as the 'Buried Ones' due to the fact that, to drugged prisoners, the weasels seem to materialize from the earth.
In The Sable Quean, the spelling of the name is altered to 'Flitcheye', though by their description, they are obviously the same tribe.
In The Legend of Luke[]
Martin the Warrior, Gonff, Young Dinny and Trimp encountered the Flitchaye while on their quest to find out about Martin's father; they ran into them within one day's march of Redwall Abbey, which is unusually far south for the Flitchaye to travel. After discovering the Flitchaye held a Dibbun squirrel hostage, Martin tricked the superstitious weasels by making his sword magically appear (with help from Gonff) and using ramsons to overpower the scent of their burning solution. Later, Garraway Bullow and her tribe of otters attacked the Flitchaye, causing them to flee. The Flitchaye group were quickly slain by the otters, who nursed a grudge against them and habitually used their pelts as blankets.
In Mariel of Redwall[]
This band of Flitchaye, led by Snidjer, was often kept at bay by Stonehead McGurney and his family of warlike owls, who dined upon Flitchaye flesh. The weasels captured Mariel Gullwhacker and her friends, but the Redwallers had been told the trick of banging a hollow tree to summon Stonehead; the owl immediately attacked the Flitchaye and freed the goodbeasts from their clutches.
Some time later, Fishgill and Deadglim both were tricked by Oak Tom into leading their parties of searats straight into Flitchaye territory. This is the last that is heard of them; as the rats were not aware of the trick to summon Stonehead, it is unlikely that they survived the encounter.
In The Sable Quean[]
The Flitcheye attacked Buckler Kordyne, Diggs, the Guosim, and Witherspyk Performing Players while the goodbeasts were on their way to Redwall. However, the shrews Sniffy and Jango already knew they were in Flitcheye territory, and had prepared for the eventuality. The outnumbered weasels were quickly surrounded and defeated, then tied to a tree and forced to smell their own burning herbs until they went unconscious.
Books[]
The Flitchaye appear in Mariel of Redwall, The Legend of Luke, and The Sable Quean.