Chap. 9 Link's Awakening Link didn't remember crashing into a dune on their destined side of the waste, nor being nearly buried in a blanket of sand. The awakening was all that came to him. In and out of consciousness he drifted, the heat, the sizzling of his bloody skin, the gravel shoved deep under his nails; everything stung. Soon the waves of confusion and blackness stopped and he blinked his eyes open to see the sun, still baking in the sky. Where's Grodan? He shifted his body to look where he was. There was nothing in sight. No storm or cloud, just a new layer of dust like a new snow, fresh, smooth and crisp. He got to his feet but fell back down onto his rump as his knees gave out. Where am I? He crawled over the dune, too exhausted and hurt to stand. The site of Gyde's Rock, just a day's travel, loomed over him. But it looked like the sun would be retiring soon, and he would be alone in the middle of the desert... cold and alone. Where could she be? He was very worried and trembled at the thought that she could have fallen somewhere hundreds of miles away- she could be dead. The sinking within him wouldn't go away. So he just sat there, his bag was lost, but his shield and sword had loyally stayed with him. It was then that he blacked out again.

This time, Link awoke to the chattering of his teeth. It was a little before midnight and the moon was almost in the middle of the black canvas. He hugged himself and rocked back and forth as the winds caused the sand to dance into the air like loopy ghosts in a ballroom. The transitional plains before him stretched infinitely on into the shadow and out of sight. It made Link feel like he was at the ocean, where all you could see was the water for miles and miles, never even imagining what was on the other side, just at awe, yet frightened by its vastness. He thought of Grodan somewhere out there; a grain of sand in a desert.
I must not succumb to such thoughts. To amuse his failing thoughts, Link started to make sense of what forms the sand was forming as it swirled in the night. "A dragon. A bird. A flower. Bird..." He muttered it to himself so his lips wouldn't fall off, " a woman, a man, a crawling snake-" Link blinked a few times and his blue eyes grew from their idly lidded state. It is a snake! Another rieck! He wouldn't let it get by this time, he would be prepared. He staggered to his feet, and stood at the ready, his Kokiri Blade flashing in the moonlight. The snake slid with a sort of grace and carelessness, as if not even noticing there was fresh blood in front of him. Link could see its forked tongue tasting the night air. The nonchalance was strange... too strange. Maybe it's just a trick?
The nearer it grew, now but a couple of yards away, Link saw its difference from the one he had killed the other day. It was lighter, almost white, so it stood out like a spot of intense moonlight slipping across the sand; a bit thinner and shorter. It also had these glowing, icy blue eyes, half lidded and sleepy. This is crazy... The rieck was almost to Link, who was about to pounce, but the spectral eyes met his and blinked questionably. The creature seemed to sway back and forth to some quiet rhythm as he rose up his head to observe the human. Link returned the quizzed gesture and relaxed back onto his heels. Are you going to hurt me or not? Link wasn't sure what to think, so he just continued the game.
Then the creature pulled away. It swished a little from its spot and began to dig into the ground with a large bone before its nostrils. It was amazingly quick, and soon all the sand thrown into the air screened Link's vision from the rieck. As it settled, there was nothing in its spot, only a hole about 2 feet in diameter. Well, that's the end of that. Link turned to walk away to face a hopeless maze of dune and rock.
Just when he thought that, the spikes and then the entirety of the rieck's head popped out from the ground. It gave a little bark... or was it a hiss. Link jumped and rose his sword again, just in case. The rieck peered up into his eyes, it was different from the golden, death stare in the other ones. This one was oddly reassuring. Then Nor's voice sounded in his head: You'll know the kind ones when you meet them.
The rieck was sucked under ground again it's tail flicked the air as it turned it's body around. The tip was swallowed. Link was still for a few seconds, a minute, five. Finally he inched toward the passage, and carefully looked down as if expecting something to shoot out. He felt his left hand tingle and knew what he had to do. He got down and sat on the edge of the hole, his feet tainted black as they escaped the moon's stare. A rabbit going into a snake hole... just great. And he slid off.