Veil Sixclaw

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Veil Sixclaw
Species: Ferret Place of Origin: Unknown Gender: Male Weapon: Ole Hoffy's knife, staff Death: Killed by his father, Swartt Sixclaw
Books Appears: Outcast of Redwall

Veil Sixclaw was the son of evil ferret warlord Swartt Sixclaw and his wife Bluefen. Like Swartt, Veil had six claws on his left paw. While Swartt was traveling through Mossflower Woods, he was sidetracked by a group of woodlanders hoping to distract him from Redwall Abbey. The group of squirrels and otters were successful; however, Veil's nursemaid was killed and the infant became lost. Swartt, an uncaring beast, made no effort to look for him and moved on.

Skipperjo found the ferret infant abandoned and brought him back to the Abbey. He was named Veil by Bella of Brockhall. It was decided that Veil would be placed in the care of Bryony, a gentle young mousemaid, and her mole friend Togget. As Veil grew older, he continually became more and more difficult. He was untrustworthy, unlikable, and nasty to everyone. He had even showed signs of violence when he was a baby by biting everyone who dared to go near him. Veil often stole from others and denied doing it later. Eventually, in a move that shocked everyone at Redwall, he tried to poison Friar Bunfold, but ended up poisoning Myrtle. The poison Veil used stained his hands and could be washed off only by special solution. As he washed his paws he discovered it was a trap devised to reveal the culprit; he was caught and imprisoned in The Cellar while a decision was made regarding punishment.

It was decided by Bella that he would be banished from the Abbey. He was sent off and instructed never to return. Veil wandered into the woods, alone, while Bryony, who had looked after him like a mother, was held back, weeping.

Veil then went to seek out his father his father Swartt, however Bryony along with her friend Togget were following him. Veil made his way to Bat Mountpit where he finally meets Swartt. The two however quickly grow to hate each other and were even prompted to kill each other. After Swartt had captured Sunflash, Veil went to the top of the mountain and fought Swartt. Bryony then tried to free Sunflash, but Swartt through a Javelin at her. But Veil protected her by jumping in front of her, taking the hit. He then died, saving Bryony's life.

[edit] Good vs. Evil

There has been much controversy about whether Veil was good or evil. After Bryony's return to Redwall, she claimed that Veil was truly evil. Redfarl and Bella both originally hypothesized he would never turn out good. It is possible that Veil was driven to evil in life by the cynical attitude of certain Redwall inhabitants who never trusted him; however, this will never truly be known. Veil's last actions seem in a sense redeeming, however this poses a question: is sacrificing one's existence enough to forgive a lifetime of cruelty? A point also often forgotten by readers is that Veil actually hurt and robbed innocent woodlanders (though this act may possibly have been out of desperation and ingrained distrust of other woodlanders), and later killed a pair of foxes (Brool & Renn) in revenge. Veil's name is also an anagram the words "evil" and "vile", but then again, but it is also an anagram of the word "live" also. The word "veil" names an object that hides or obscures other things---possibly evocative of how the Redwallers were at first unaware of his origins.