Enter Midgard

You don't know how long you've been walking - your paws just carry you forward mechanically, drawing you ever closer to the epicenter of... something. You're not quite sure what, as the snow-covered forest floor beneath you turns rocky and hard. You spy paw prints around the path you've taken - some small, smaller than a pup. Some... excessively large. Faintly glowing flakes of snow dance in a soft breeze across the foliage that's been growing ever darker around you.

As you make your way through the forest, the snow picks up - blinding you as you let your paws carry you forward. The wind whips at your face as you struggle to place one paw in front of the other. You notice the birds that had been chattering pleasantly moments before have gone silent. Even the creaking of the branches swaying in the harsh wind have ceased. You stop, hesitating. The snow kicks up and pelts your face as the wind blasts right through your coat.

"Hey!" A small, lithe brown mottled wolf leaps down from a hidden alcove somewhere high above you. They land with a grunt, upright, before crouching low with hackles raised in a clearly defensive posture. The white patches across his pelt blend seamlessly with the surrounding snow drifts. "Who are you, and what brings you into this forest?" Their eyes are sharp, an unnaturally distinct white eye peers at you with interest while a socket that is so dark it seems empty stares listlessly into the distance. Though small, the male's paws are massive, and his tail bristles out behind him like an evergreen.

"No matter," The lithe wolf says softly, "Let's get you out of this storm." He pressed his side to yours to gently guide you along through the whiteout conditions. Around you, the wind drowns out every sound but your footsteps in line with the Alpha's own. In the distance, a dim glow reveals itself, surrounded by conifer trees and what looks like an old, crumbling temple. As you get closer, you realize it's not a temple at all - but a library. A massive one, at that.