Atreyu reluctantly gives up on calling Falkor. He turns his eyes to the beach, he finds a trail of foot prints in the sand, but they were not his, but that of a large beast. Atreyu follows them and Finds himself following a path to a city that has seen better days. On his way he stops to rest leaning against the remains of what seems like a stone wall, but he soon finds that it was not a wall at all, but a Rockbiter. The giant looks down at Atreyu and holds out his hands.
Rockbiter:
They look like big, good, strong hands. Don't they?
(Atreyu looks down saddened.)
I always thought that's what they were. My little friends. The little man with his racing snail, the Nighthob, even the stupid bat. I couldn't hold on to them. The nothing pulled them right out of my hands. I failed.