A/N: Let's be real, it can't be good, since I'm feeling really tired and my brain is like that piece of bread left for a week in a dry box,

A Hollow

Deep within a forest, in the growing shadows of approaching night, in a hollow in an ancient tree, a boy was curled in a ball.

His little feet were dirty, so were his hands, his clawed fingers hidden under a thick layer of dried soil and leaves. His hair, once so white and smooth, now was tangled and with twigs and mats. Only his red kimono looked as if freshly washed, the color rich. The boy's face, dirty and with tears never drying on his cheeks, was hidden in a huge sleeve as he tried to muffle his sobs.

He feared the night, he feared the loneliness, the sounds in the forest were still so scary to him. He had been always one to love the wildness of the forest, he had always ran to the forest to find peace from all the other kids picking on him. But now, when he knew that he couldn't go to the only other place where he had always felt safe, even the forest was no longer welcoming. Besides, he had never stayed a night in the woods.

But now he was preparing for his third night, the third night of loneliness, fear and sorrow. The one who was the most precious to him, his gentle mother, was gone, taking with her the sense of security, of belonging, of understanding. He was already painfully aware his old home was off limits, that the humans weren't going to accept him. And the youkai of the forest weren't nice too, they had tried to catch and eat him.

There was no one to embrace and rock the hanyou baby to sleep.

The tree he was hidden in, shook when wind blew and the boy's ears twitched on top of his head. He could hear leaves rustle and branches scrape against each other. He could hear the nearby stream whispering soothingly. The tree trunk was hiding him from sight, providing shelter from predators and cold.

He slowly lifted his head to look at the starry sky visible through the opening, the dark trees swaying under the twinkling stars.

This was his home, he was safe in the forest, as long as he was watchful, as long as he was smart. He was alone, but he was not utterly lost, he had a place where he could stay, where he could avoid hatred of the humans and where the nature itself would help him hide from youkai. He was neither, so he had to be stronger than both, in order to survive, like his mom wanted.

.

A boy was curled in a ball in a hollow of a tree. He was hiding from the whole world, trying not to howl in sadness and loneliness, so not to alert anyone to where he was hidden. He needed some time to get hold of his emotions before he could return to the village and meet the twin daughters of his friends and wait another three days to visit a special - almost sacred to him - meadow.

For now he just let the old tree sway on the wind, listening to the sounds of the nature. He had to find his strength, the strength of will to accept the reality of being without the one most precious to him, to not grow bitter of his friends' happiness. He wanted to be happy for his friends and their new family, for Kagome who was safe and with her family now, for Shippou who rekindled his ties to the kitsune.

He didn't want to think he was alone again, he didn't want things to go back to the way they were before her.

As the trees swayed on the wind around him, whispering their secrets, he thought that as long as he had a place to go and hide for a while he would be fine. He just had to survive, wait for as long as it took for her to return to him. After all, if anything, the forest had taught him that the winter always ended. And for him she was the spring.

.

A boy was sitting in a hollow in an old tree, hidden from sight. He was pouting, his little ears twitching in irritation. The tree wasn't far from his home, but he knew the hollow was well hidden from anyone walking on the ground.

"Hey, squirt," the startled boy yelped and looked back to see in the opening a head of silver hair, with dog ears on top of it. Yellow eyes were peering at him with curiosity and a fang could be seen peeking from under a lip. "Why are you here?"

"Mom said I can't go to meet you and uncle Miroku on your way home from work," the boy replied and as soon as he did he realized that it was his father crawling into the hollow, putting him in his lap and hugging him tightly. "Dad! You're back!"

"Yup," the older hanyou stroked his hair and rubbed an ear, coaxing him to relax. "You know, your mom was right, you're too small to go out of the village by yourself. A youkai could eat you in one gulp."

"Not true! I could hide and sneak around a youkai!" the boy pouted. "You taught me how to hide!"

"I taught you one trick," the man smirked. "There are more tricks and secrets to learn before you can roam the forest freely." He chuckled when he saw his son's grumpy face. "But you're making progress, kid, I had a bit of trouble finding you."

The tree shook under a strong blow of the wind and the man closed his eyes for a moment, holding his son in a tight, loving embrace. Yes, he was going to teach him and his other children all he knew, so they would never have to learn how to survive on their own. He was going to be there for them, to embrace, to protect, to be with them and to teach them to respect the nature that aided those who were cunning in the art of surviving in this dark, hateful world.