Jess Squirrel

Jess Squirrel was a female squirrel resident of Mossflower Woods. A champion climber and pathfinder, she was the wife of Mr. Squirrel and the mother of Sam Squirrel. The Squirrel family relocated to Redwall Abbey after Sam led Matthias there, deciding to remain during the Late Rose Summer Wars against Cluny the Scourge.

Jess volunteered to scale the Abbey and retrieve the sword of Martin the Warrior from the weathervane, although she was attacked by sparrows and forced to climb down. She reported that there were old rusty wires where the sword had probably once been located, however it was no longer there. Shortly afterwards, Jess and Basil Stag Hare concocted a plan to take back Redwall's stolen Tapestry of Martin from Cluny, who was using it as a banner.

The pair traveled to Saint Ninian's Church, and with distraction tactics, taunts, and a false image of Martin on a dishcloth they were able to secure it, passing the Tapestry to each other like relay runners as they fled. Basil was slightly injured in the escape, so Jess took the fabrication and continued to taunt and chase the horde members, taking to the trees.

Cluny tried to wheedle her into returning what he believed to be the true banner, first by offering her a place in his army as his second-in-command, then with a mixture of threats and false promises about the safety of her family. Jess decided to play it off as though she believed him and gave him the false banner, then laughed when Cluny noticed that it was fake. She solemnly reported the loss of the dishcloth to Friar Hugo when she and Basil returned to the Abbey.

During another invasion from Cluny's army, Jess dropped a large barrel filled with angry bees on the attackers.

Later, when Sam was kidnapped by Slagar the Cruel, she set out with Matthias and Basil Stag Hare to pursue the fox and find her son, fighting in the battle in the underground city of Malkariss. She was a great help with strategies and climbing trees to help get their bearings along the way, and even wielded the Sword of Martin in a battle against the Painted Ones.

Nelvana Redwall TV Series

In the Nelvana Redwall TV Series, Jess does not negotiate with Cluny, and she does not throw a barrel full of angry bees at the horde members.

Personality

Jess Squirrel was a loving wife and a devoted mother, who was willing and able to protect her family from anyone foolish to attack it. She was bold and fierce and quite unafraid of taking on many enemies at once. She delighted in using trickery and cunning to defeat wicked beasts, and was a close comrade of Basil Stag Hare. Her battlecry was "Treetops and timber!" She was also good at improvising ways of getting out of tight situations.

Trivia

• Jess Squirrel is the second known female character to wield the Sword of Martin, after Mariel Gullwhacker.