Aren't the small animals the Guosim (Guerilla Union of Shrews in Mossflower)? I seem to recall they have a very strong line in being scary and mysterious and frightening passers-by, and they're the kind of creatures who would wear skulls for helmets and make their own survivalist camoflage.

The Redwall wiki tells me that they're a loving parody of the Liverpool longshoremen's union. Apart from anything else, I guess now we know how their accents sound.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIQ7rhW655Y

(not to post mystery links, this is Louisa Jo Killen singing "Bonny Bunch of Roses-O.")