Tergen was a fierce male goshawk who lived in Mossflower Woods. He was very proud and quick-tempered, but fiercely loyal; he also had an obsesson with killing vermin. He was shot in the wing by Gulo the Savage's horde; the arrow wound crippled him and prevented him from flying. He mistook Rakkety Tam MacBurl for a vermin and attacked him; once he realized his error, he slew an ermine that had been following them both. He then joined up with the Long Patrol and was ordered to travel to Redwall Abbey with Ferdimond de Mayne and Yoofus Lightpaw to warn the Abbey dwellers about Gulo.