Blackfeather Woods the winged seeds, where they lie cold and low,

A scarlet flash of frustration surfaces at first, an impulsive and irrational response to what Zephyr sees as a lack of understanding. It seems to him that Phillip doesn't understand, that he never could — but in the next moment, he realizes that he's looking at it all wrong. His partner is right; there isn't any reason to assign the blame to himself and his own body, when it's the world that gets it wrong. If no one ever called him a girl, Zephyr knows he would have no reason to hate himself. He is normal — even if no one but Phillip seems to think so.
He blinks, realizing suddenly that his vision is blurred. His ears fall back with an abrupt but soft exhale, and he smiles faintly. You're right. I guess — I don't feel normal when people think I'm a girl, Which just sucks for him, doesn't it? He can't exactly stop that from happening. Especially when I correct someone and they argue. It never stops bothering me. When it's quiet and I have nothing else to think about, that's what I think about. Sometimes I can't get it out of my head, no matter how hard I try. The difficulty of it seems to melt away, and suddenly his feelings are pouring out of him with more intensity than he'd even realized he felt. Putting it into words is strange; a little painful, but mostly he feels relief. If nothing else, at least someone knows now; at least he isn't suffering in silence.