Vallug Bowbeast is an anthropomorphic ferret and one of the secondary antagonists in the Redwall series book, The Taggerung.
Vallug was a member of the evil Juska tribe and one of Sawney Rath's top assassins. He was an extremely skilled archer who could pick off a dragonfly in mid-air. Vallug was a sturdy, stolid ferret who didn't speak much, but was very cunning and brutal.
Biography[]
Having come along with Sawney Rath along with the vermin he assigned to go along with him nearby Redwall Abbey, when they notice an otter named Rillflag tending to his baby son, Deyna. Vallug murdered the otter Rillflag with an arrow to the heart under Sawney Rath's orders so that Sawney Rath could take Rillflag's infant son to be the Juska's warrior-messiah, the Taggerung. When the baby otter Tagg grew up, he rebelled and ran away from the Juska, with Sawney being slain by Antigra while pursuing him to avenge her husband Gruven, who was slain by Sawney years ago. After this, she, with the help of Grissoul, Sawney's former old Seer, has her son Gruven Zann be placed in charge of a group of vermin to hunt down and slay the Taggerung, having framed him for the death of Sawney with Vallug being one of the nine vermin warriors sent after him.
In the woods, while it was raining and Vallug was eating his dried fish from the meager rations they brought along, Gruven demands that Vallug gives him his breakfast as he proclaims himself as clan chieftain though Vallug merely tells him that he had to prove himself first which he hasn't as he had done nothing but complain and to get his own food. Eefera then comes in after having searched for tracks, without reporting to Gruven, and grabbed some dried fish to eat, stating that there's a stream over yonder. Vallug deduces that the Taggerung went north in the water as that's how he was traveling, prompting Gruven to take the opportunity to try to assert his authority by declaring that they go north only to stride off in the wrong direction, embarrassing himself as the group laughs with Eefera pointing to the correct direction that they go. After they travel in said direction for a bit, Vallug stops them for a short rest on the bankside while Eefera scouts ahead as the others sit under the shade of some weeping willows. Soon, Eefera reappears to take them to some pawprints he spotted on the bank, deducing when they get there that he was there sometime last night. When Eefera strides off ahead and alerts the others of a bankvole, whom they were unbeknownst to having befriended the Taggerung earlier, Vallug shoots a couple arrows at it, though they only hit him in the backpaw and the creature escapes due to Gruven unwittingly crashing into Eefera while trying to capture it. After Eefera berated Gruven for causing him to miss, the others would begin eating pears. Unbeknownst to them, the vole would kill Milkeye, who was sent by Gruven to the top of the hill to get pears for him, by shooting him with a poison dart that causes him to die once he arrives back, much to the others' horror. After throwing his body weight with a few stones lashed to its middle into the stream, Vallug confers with Eefera as to the group's next move.
While Gruven brought in food and sat himself down next to Vallug, asking what their next move is, Vallug explains their plan to scout both sides of the water as Tagg could be leaving tracks on the other edge. Gruven declares that he's not swimming across there with Vallug declaring that he won't have to as he's staying on the side with them before Eefera wades into the stream to test the current, explaining to Vallug out of Gruven's hearing that the curent is too deep and fast and there's trailing weeds that wrap around the paws too. Soon, they come up with a plan to have Ribrow, Grobait, and Rabbad go with Eefera holding paws into the stream where they discover how deep it is with Rabbad declaring that they'd have to swim for it, though Eefera explains that it gets shallower from there to the bank and orders them to keep going while holding to each other's paws. This leads to predatory fish attacking them, prompting Eefera to escape onto the bank while Rawback and Dagrab run into the shallows beating off the other with sticks and Ribrow stumbled ashore his eyes wide with fear. Rabbad winds up being killed by several fish devouring him and sinks as he yells. Vallug himself had killed a burbot with his arrow and pulls it out, declaring to Eefera that they have dinner now, noticing Eefera got a fish too and they decide to stop there for tonight and start tracking at dawn. As Vallug cooks his fish, Gruven declares his plans to eat it, though Vallug tells him that he'll be the one eating it since he killed it and to get his own fish. Gruven complains by telling him Eefera is sharing his with Grobait and Vallug responds that they caught it together and earned the right to both eat it. When Gruven further proclaims that he's supposed to be his chief and should get a share, Vallug challenges him to try and take it. Gruven prepares to take him on, though Vallug floors him with a hefty punch to the nose and stands over him, telling him that the one they'll call chief as the one who brings back the otter's head and that it won't be Gruven as well as insulting him even further by reminding him of the Taggerung beating him back at the camp and declaring that his mother is tougher than him. He then threatens him to stay out of his way unless he wants to die. As Gruven lay with thoughts of murder in his mind, Vallug threatens to kill him with the sword if he touches it.
Later, the hunting party came together again after following both sides of the steam course up into the foothills where they find a broad shallow expanse. Eefera converses with Vallug about his tracks and the two debate whether they should climb the mountain. Gruven gets into a bit of an argument with Grobait after expressing his opinion that they're on a fool's errand if no tracks lead up there with Grobait explaining that he traveled upstream and that it is the only place they could go. Vallug, who had been sniffing the air, then alerts them of a storm coming up and orders them to get under the rock ledge up yonder and the others follow him there, except Grobait who was still suffering from his wounds. Once they get under the rock ledge, a thunderclap occurred, frightening Ribrow while Gruven mocks him, sarcastically suggesting he goes and sits out there with Grobait, who had been injured and hardly moved due to the wound on him. When Grobait didn't move in spite of the group's suggestions, Vallug tells him to save his breath as he isn't going anywhere unless the stream swells up and sweeps him away in the night. When Gruven sarcastically suggests to Vallug to put him out of his misery as a bowbeast, Vallug declared that he isn't worth wasting an arrow on, unlike Gruven, whom he would've shot 2 or 3 arrows at.
During the evening of their second day upon the mountain, together, they split from the main group and set up a small campfire nearby where they discuss how they haven't found any tracks of the Taggerung on the mountain and soon deduce that he must have went to Redwall Abbey. As such, they decide to abandon Gruven and the others in spite of them having potential to freeze and starve to death on the mountain and partner up with each other to hunt down Tagg themselves with the intent to backstab each other when the time is right and lie about the others being killed by predators when arriving back to the clan. Eventually, they come across a rat named Poskra holding two children from Redwall Abbey, a mouse and a mole, hostage to use them for ransom for wine from the abbey and having gotten the idea to take the children for themselves to use as hostages to trade them for the Taggerung, whom they wrongly assumed was in the abbey, Vallug himself slays the rat with an arrow and after Eefera takes the carcass of Poskra off the children, Vallug bundles them into the sack the rat was carrying. However, a squirrel named Fwirl encounters them upon being alerted of the two children being absent from the abbey and begins attacking them by hurling stones at them, striking Eefera in the eye, left footpaw, throat, nd forehead while Eefera harangues Vallug into killing her which Vallug attempts by shooting arrows at her, though she only dodges them and hurls stones at him as well, striking Vallug on the shoulder and paw all while mocking the two, much to their anger as they threaten her angrily. Soon, Vallug strikes her with an arrow and shoots a second one at her through a bush she was hiding behind, thinking he's killed her before she shoots through the trees and reveals she's still alive, exiting the scene, leaving the two to realize the sack will be empty and the children they kidnapped would be rescued.
In front of Redwall Abbey's main gate, when Eefera suggests that the Taggerung is not in the abbey, Vallug contests this before they discuss a plan as to how they'll get his due to how guarded the abbey is while Vallug insults Eeferea a bit for his breath. Taking offense at it, Eefera wiped soil and bit into it while talking about his idea to make the Taggerung come out to them, though Vallug scoffs at this as the Taggerung would know they want to kill him. Eefera then explains his plan to kill one of the guards to send a message. Vallug, however, sarcastically retorts that this could result in them coming out and charging against them and killing them, though he loses the argument when Eefera asks him if he has a better plan, instead referencing to when Sawney said he didn't want to tangle with the warriors within the abbey. He gets provoked when Eefera laughs scornfully and reminds him that Sawney is a dead chief due to the Taggerung and asks if he's scared or if he'll go with his idea and as such, shoots an arrow at one of the guards left of the threshold above the gate, sarcastically telling Eefera to tell him he's scared before noticing him running away with Eefera telling him that it's best to get out of the way as the Redwallers would likely start firing back with many creatures. Vallug decides to take precaution and follow him into the trees where they could be safe.
Later, at night, Vallug shoots at another creature striding the north battlements, striking Fwirl with his arrow, much to his and Eefera's satisfaction as this would mean the squirrel would bother them no more. To get the Redwallers' attention, he shoots an arrow at the abbey's bells, causing them to ring and waking up the Redwallers. After noticing Fwirl wounded, Vallug and Eeferea shout at the Redwallers and after they send Fwirl to the infirmary to be saved, they speak to the two, asking what they want. Vallug and Eefera demand that they give them the Taggerung, unaware that the Redwallers don't actually have him, leaving the Redwallers confused as they aren't even familiar with the term "Taggerung." Vallug then shoots a couple more arrows over the wall to give them something to think about before they retreat into the woodlands with Eefera leading the way. While in the woodlands, they argue with each other about starting a fire as while it was cold, it could risk the Redwallers finding them before they hear creatures coming to their area. As such, they decide to light the fire on the twigs Vallug gathered to set an ambush.
The creatures turned out to be Gruven, Rawback, and Dagrab who had heard the abbey's bells and decided to check the area with Gruven ordering the other two to kill anyone nearby the fire while foolishly staying back, allowing Vallug and Eefera to ambush them easily with Eefera knocking Rawback and Dagrab to the floor and Vallug taking Gruven's sword and locking Gruven in a chokehold using his bow while prodding at his spine with the swordpoint. After Gruven cowardly revealed that there's food in the sacks with Eefera shaking them out, Vallug mocks Gruven for hanging back and having the other two go forward despite ordering them to kill anyone near the fire and forces him to say he's a gutless worm with Gruven sobbingly and pathetically saying that he is while begging for mercy. When Eefera explains to him that the three will be useful to him and Vallug, despite really wanting to kill Gruven, Vallug decides to go along with this so that Eefera would think he was clever also. After Eefera made the three sit together by the fire with their paws bound, he explained what they did to a few creatures from the abbey and that they are to be used as decoys in case any Redwaller comes searching for them to kill them while he and Vallug can sleep easy until dawn, Vallug checks the captives' bonds for tightness and warns them to not try to escape as they'll be closeby and one of them could be awake before they retire into the shadows.
At dawn, due to the three still being alive, after Eefera releases the prisoners and issues them with their weapons, Vallug explains their plan to have Gruven, Rawback, and Dagrab go with them up north across the path and into the ditch, then back down to the main gates of Redwall Abbey where they are to use the weapons to make themselves look like Juska warriors, threatening to kill whoever makes a wrong move. Noticing Gruven looking at him in a frightened manner, Vallug asks him why he is looking at him like that and tellsh im to speak up with Gruven frighteningly stating that he wasn't staring at him before Vallug tells him to call him sir. Mocking him a bit more, Vallug tells them to get going as Eefera goes ahead to show the way with Vallug in the rear. They had not gone far when Eefera and Vallug noticed Nimbalo, the Taggerung's friend, in the woods and knocked him down with his spearbutt unconscious. When they notice Sawney Rath's blade in the mouse's belt, they get more firm in their assumptions of Tagg being there. Assuming Nimbalo to be a Redwaller, they make plans to use him as a hostage before forcing the three to continue trekking north and enter the ditch. Meanwhile, Tagg, who had been wandering nearby Redwall Abbey, gets knocked out by the Redwallers mistaking him to be an evil vermin and capture him, ironically now proving Vallug and Eefera's assumptions to be correct.
In the ditch, once Gruven, Dagrab, and Rawback have made slings and collected heaps of pebbles, Vallug strikes several arrows down in the ditchbed, close to paw while Eefera instructs them to keep slinging stones over the wall and to stop when he tells them to before giving the order to start slinging. Soon, Nimbalo awakens and when Vallug gets alerted of this, he threatens him before having Eefera tie him up while ordering the three to keep slinging. As Vallug and Eefera interrogate him regarding who he is and how much he knows about the Taggerung, Nimbalo insults them, leading to Eefera dealing him a blow with Vallug stopping him from leaping upon him as he's no use to them dead. Gruven was amused by this and as such, Eefera slaps him about the face and ears for smiling at the situation with Vallug taking a few kicks at him too before forcing him to continue slinging stones. Vallug then fires an arrow over the abbey wall and yells at them a threat to kill them all if they don't give them the Taggerung. After continuously forcing Gruven, Dagrab, and Rawback to fire slingstones at the abbey to the point of their paws getting weary and tricking the abbey into thinking they're under siege, Vallug proceeds to drag Nimbalo out of the ditch onto the path in front of the abbey's main wallgate, making a threat to kill him if they don't give them the Taggerung with Eefera further emphasizing this.
Soon, Cregga, the badgermum of the abbey, decides toshow herself above the wallgates and converse with the two, oblivious as to what a Taggerung is, to try to save Nimbalo. As she speaks, Eefera points out her blindness by commenting on how she's looking right past them at the flatlands behind, leading to Vallug laughing scornfully at her and asking how she knows she doesn't have a Taggerung when she can't see her paw, angering Cregga as shefurther tries to get to the bottom of the situation. During this, Nimbalo saws through the last of his bonds and struck Vallug on the elbow with the shaft of his axe, causing him to release the arrow and strike Cregga instinctively. Just then, Tagg himself came running out of the abbey with the sword of Martin the Warrior and attacks Vallug. Vallug shoots at him with arrows, even burying some in his chest, though Tagg kept coming and then beheads him with the sword, pursuing and slaying Eefera afterwards.
