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It was in WindClan that Jaythistle - Jaypaw, at the time - first heard about plurality. “Being many”, as Crowfeather had first described it. While it was interesting to hear about, he’d never thought to try to apply Crowfeather and Nightcloud’s explanations to himself, even if he did, vaguely, think he understood the feeling of being somebody else.
It wasn’t until a few moons later that Jaythistle brought the topic up to Breezepelt. Despite the wiry tom’s sharp attitude clashing with Jaythistle’s own, the two of them shared a very close bond, and it wasn’t uncommon for them to stay up late into the night talking about whatever came to mind.
It was with Breezepelt’s help that Jaythistle slowly accepted the idea that he was likely part of a system. The times when he felt–different were adding up; when his hard-earned name didn’t feel right; when the pronouns “they” or “she” or “xe” felt more comfortable; when he–most simply–just felt like a completely different cat.
The first of his sysmates to develop a concrete identity chose the name “Raven”. Xe had been sharing tongues with Breezepelt, working on the fur on his shoulders, when xe’d paused, struck with the realization that Oh, I am not Jaythistle, then Who am I?, then Raven.
“What is up with y’all and bird names?” Breezepelt had scoffed, wrangling xir into a position where he could easily groom xir back. “First there’s Crowfeather – whose son just so happens to be named Jaythistle – and now Raven? All corvids, too, right? Who’s gonna be next? Rook? Jackdaw?”
“Mousebrain,” Raven retorted, even as Breezepelt’s easy usage of y’all stuck with xir. You all. Like it is really that simple.
“If you want to use a catch-all name, Corvid would work perfectly. The Corvidae Family.”
“…Actually, that doesn’t sound half-bad.”
Breezepelt hissed and leaned forward to cuff xir over the ear. “Please, please do not name yourselves Corvid. Crowfeather’ll be drowning in those mushy fatherly feelings for moons.”
Most certainly to Breezepelt’s relief, Jaythistle and Raven didn’t name themselves Corvid. Instead, they chose to continue outwardly using the name Jaythistle, finding it simpler both for themselves and their Clanmates.
The third official member of their system was named Evening. Breezepelt had asked her if the non-warrior name style would become a trend, to which she had shrugged. “I don’t know. For us right now, they feel right. Maybe that’ll change in the future, or someone else will come along with a warrior name.”
Moons ago, Jaythistle had left ThunderClan behind – had left his littermates, his family, the ableist system that the Clan upheld – for a better life with his father’s Clan. And while he did miss the cats that he’d left, Hollyleaf and Lionblaze especially, a better life was indeed discovered in WindClan. Here, he wasn’t underestimated or treated differently for his blindness; he found support, respect, acceptance, and a family. He was able to grow into a valued member of the Clan and, in the process, learn more about himself and the other cats living with him in their system.
In WindClan, they were all free to be themselves.