what lies behind the wall

It wasn't quite as grand or as intimidating as he'd imagined it would be. When he'd heard talk of the great northern wall he'd imagined something looming, tall enough to cast the land in shadow, but it had gaps in places. Crumbling and decrepit, a whisper of its former glory. As he approached from the west, the wind at his back he tilted his head to look up at it, wonder whether it was built to keep things out or in. These days it did a terrible job of either, he stepped over the threshold with ease, taking care as he clambered his way to the top, talons hooking onto the edges like ice picks.

Standing atop he squinted against the cold, as the wind rustled his coat and clicked his spikes together. Even from higher up there wasn't much to see out in this snowy expanse. Nothing but cold emptiness, a void of white for miles all around.