Page 52 of Mate Night Snack
"Step forward, Katniss Greaves," Varric commanded.
Emmett's hand squeezed her waist once, a brief touch of encouragement, before she walked alone into the center of the stone circle. The air here was even more charged, crackling with power that made her skin tingle and her seer abilities hum with awareness. She could feel the weight of history in this place, decades or maybe centuries of rituals and gatherings and decisions that shaped the community around her.
"State your name and your business in Hollow Oak," Varric said formally.
"Katniss Greaves." Her voice came out steadier than she felt, carrying clearly in the hushed space. "I came here following a cold case about a missing girl. But I stayed because I found something I didn't know I was looking for."
"And what was that?"
She glanced around the circle, taking in faces both familiar and strange, human and decidedly other. Her gaze found Emmett's storm-gray eyes, and the answer came easily.
"Home."
Another murmur, this one warmer. Approving. Miriam smiled, and even Maeve looked pleased. But Elder Bram's expression remained carved from disapproval.
"You possess the sight," Varric continued. "Visions that pierce the Veil between worlds. This gift is both powerful and dangerous. Do you understand the responsibility that comes with such abilities?"
"I'm starting to," Katniss said honestly. "The visions aren't just random images. They're connected to this place, to the people here. To threats that could hurt the community."
"Indeed." Varric began to pace around the stone circle, his braids swaying with each step. "Seers are rare, particularly those with the strength to withstand the Veil's influence without losing themselves. But rarity does not equal safety."
Elder Bram stepped forward, his pale eyes fixed on Katniss with laser intensity. "If I may, Elder Varric."
"Speak, Elder Bram."
"This woman brings chaos." His voice was clipped, precise, carrying the weight of absolute certainty. "Since her arrival, we've had Veil disturbances, prophetic dreams, and reports of rogue pack activity at our borders. She is a magnet for trouble."
"Now wait just a minute," Twyla interjected, her bells chiming as she moved. "That's like blaming the canary for the gas in the mine. She's not causing these problems, she's warning us about them."
"Is she?" Bram's gaze never left Katniss. "Or is her very presence drawing threats that would otherwise pass us by?"
The question hung in the charged air like a blade. Katniss felt her cheeks burn, not with embarrassment but with rising anger.
"You want to know what I see?" she said, her voice gaining strength. "I see a town that's been hiding from its problems for so long, it's forgotten how to face them. I see missing girls whose stories were buried instead of solved. I see people so afraid of change that they'd rather sacrifice safety for the illusion of peace."
Bram's eyes narrowed. "You see what you choose to see. The visions of seers can be influenced by their own desires, their own fears. How do we know your prophecies are truth and not merely projection?"
"Because they've been accurate so far," Emmett said quietly, but his voice carried to every corner of the clearing. "She saw the Veil disturbance before it happened. She saw the rogue packsigns before we found them. She's been right about everything that matters."
"Emmett Hollowell speaks for you," Varric observed, stopping his pacing to study them both. "This is significant. A wolf's mate-bond creates strong protective instincts, but it can also cloud judgment."
"We're not bonded through compulsion," Katniss said quickly. "We chose each other. Our connection isn't based on magical fate, it's based on trust and shared goals and genuine affection."
Varric's eyebrows rose slightly. "Interesting. And rare. Most supernatural matings follow the old patterns."
"Most supernatural matings don't involve a human who refuses to be told what to do," Maeve added dryly, earning a few chuckles from the crowd.
"The question remains," Bram pressed, "whether granting her formal protection is worth the risks she brings. Her presence has already destabilized our carefully maintained peace."
"What peace?" The words burst out of Katniss before she could stop them. "You've got missing girls, rogue packs circling your borders, and a community so afraid of the outside world that it's turned isolation into a religion. That's not peace, that's willful blindness."
Elder Bram's face flushed with anger, while Varric watched her with approval.
"You speak boldly for someone asking for sanctuary," Bram said coldly.
"I speak honestly for someone who sees what's really happening here." Katniss lifted her chin, meeting his glare without flinching. "You can grant me protection or not, but these problems existed long before I arrived. Ignoring them won't make them go away."
"No," Varric said slowly, "but perhaps addressing them will." He turned to address the full circle. "The seer speaks truth, however uncomfortable. We have been reactive rather than proactive, responding to threats instead of anticipating them. Perhaps it's time for a different approach."
