Mother Muleclaw

"The sky pirate captain managed to kill twenty-nine Wig Wigs before his demise, and seventy more were wounded!"

- Mother Muleclaw

Mother Muleclaw is the Shryke leader in the time of Vox Verlix's youth, and she is the leader of the Great Shryke Slave Market. She only appears briefly, but she is truly villainous. She takes pride in bloodlust, slaughter and rage. She commands the Wig-Wig Arena, the most evil place in her Market, and she enjoys making money out of the executions, and getting people worked up in blood lust.

She demonstrates this when she has Thunderbolt Vulpoon executed. She has everybody applauding, when Vulpoon is eaten. Only Cowlquape is sickened. Mother Muleclaw proudly announces the results of the execution, as if this is nothing more than a game of football.

Then, she announces the "main event" which is the banderbear Goom being killed in the Arena. Goom, however, is Twig's friend, as well as one of his crew, and Twig and Cowlquape rush to save him. Twig holds Mother Muleclaw ransom when he orders the cage to be lowered, as seen in the illustration.

Twig gets Goom free, and the crowd begin saying "we'll be looking at a new roost-mother before the night is out." This comes true, because Mother Muleclaw screams "Seize them - no one lays hands on the roost-mother and lives!" but Twig slices her ropes to the royal box. She begs for pity, but Twig says it's a pity it wasn't done long ago. Then she goes falling down screaming to the Arena and is killed by Wig-Wigs, sending the delighted audience into a betting frenzy.