Rakkety Tam MacBurl was a border squirrel from the far north, the husband of Sister Armel, and the father of Melanda MacBurl. His primary traveling companion was Wild Doogy Plumm. The pair journeyed south as mercenaries and eventually arrived at the territory of Squirrelking Araltum and Idga Drayqueen. Once there, they pledged their swords to the monarchy and quickly became two of the most revered fighters within the entire kingdom.
After several seasons, the land soon had little need for active warriors and they became bored. To make matters worse, the king and queen were prone to ordaining the most trivial of ceremonies and regulations. Rakkety Tam and Doogy were imprisoned for insulting Araltum and Idga when asked to participate in such a ceremony.
The arrival of Gulo the Savage in Mossflower Woods provided Rakkety Tam MacBurl with the excitement he was seeking. When the Squirrelking's soldiers were ambushed by Gulo, Tam and Doogy were sent to investigate and recover the royal banner that Gulo had stolen in exchange for freedom from their pledge. At the scene, they were caught and knocked unconscious by some members of the Long Patrol who suspected that they were in league with the beasts who slaughtered eight of their hares. A young sea otter who had witnessed the slaughter, Arflow, identified them as innocent, and the true murderers - Gulo and his vermin - were revealed. Rakkety Tam, Doogy, and the Long Patrol united and eventually arrived at Redwall Abbey, where Tam received the Sword of Martin and met Sister Armel, the Infirmary Keeper.
After a series of skirmishes with the wolverine, Rakkety Tam eventually faced off against Gulo in a duel. He successfully beheaded his opponent when Gulo fell against the sharpened rim of his shield and ultimately saved Redwall from the threat. He mentioned that Martin the Warrior advised him to sharpen his shield. Afterwards, Tam settled down, married Armel, and had a daughter.
Rakkety Tam and his family eventually traveled back to Squirrelking Araltum to finally be released from his and Doogy's pledge. After they were freed, Araltum and his family were dethroned, and Rakkety Tam was offered lordship over the Groves. However, he declined and traveled back to Redwall.
Before wielding the Sword of Martin, Rakkety Tam was known to use a double-edged claymore with a cup hilt. He also carried with him a dirk (essentially a long dagger), a Sgian Dhu (a small skinning knife), and a buckler shield. He wore a tartan and a feathered cap.