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.