Very long, but very important Author's Note: Readers! This is the newly updated version of Following Fate's prologue. This is also the new style with which I will be writing this entire story. At the moment, I have all the way up to chapter 5 or so written, but each of the new chapters is significantly longer than the old versions and more is incorporated into each chapter. I sometimes combined old chapters or I wrote entirely new content in to help bulk chapters out and to give you more backstory. I want you all to know more about Heron and what's going on. I also feel my portrayals of the characters in the first version were a little flat and less relatable than how I plan to make them now.

Another thing I did in this new version was I got rid of the original way Fate/the Forest/Heron's Guardian was represented. This felt forced and very…I dunno, childish(?) to me. I wanted the new version of Fate to be more like the Forest guiding him in a discrete and subtle way. It would leave more up for Heron's interpretation than having someone tell him what he should do/think. Thoughts?

Anyway, for this first update of the new chapters, I wanted to put the old version and the new version side by side. That way you can see the difference in how it's written and what is actually revealed. I will be getting rid of this side-by-side comparison after I update a little more.

Author's personal warning though: I am really horrible about actually sitting down and writing. I do it in bursts, writing a few chapters over one week and then not doing anything else for a long time. I get distracted by real life…And if I encounter a problem (like a chapter accidentally being deleted), I get discouraged and don't want to work on it. I really do appreciate you guys sticking with me and your reviews make me want to continue. I don't want to disappoint you, especially those of you who are most loyal.

That's pretty much all of it for my author's note. Please, enjoy the newly improved version of Following Fate.

Disclaimer: I do not own a fair amount of the characters or locations depicted in this story, although I will claim a few as my own. I hope you enjoy my takes on those both canon and original.

Language Key:

"English"

"Avantas" – This is the language all creatures use to communicate with each other

There was something magical about the full moon on a dark night. The way it glowed softly, encircling the entire Forest with its luminescence...The roundness of it, like a swollen belly, waiting to give birth to a new season...Its magic was a type anyone could feel and understand. The beauty of it had nothing to do with its ability to turn man into beast.

Heron dropped his eyes from the moon and turned to look at his pack. The werewolves were playful tonight. They usually were after a good hunt though. Tonight, they managed to take down an injured griffin who had been wandering through the goblins territory. It was a good kill. The male griffin had been strong and meaty. If not for his injured wing, he would have gone on living for quite a while longer. As it was, the body fed the entire pack of thirty wolves. Now, only a few of the younger pups playfully fought over the remains.

The youth smiled as he surveyed part of his extended family. No one in the world could be luckier than he. His family was massive, stretching for miles and miles around. Werewolves, vampires, centaurs, veelas...and so many others. The forest was his home, and everyone in it belonged within his heart.

Sometimes, he wondered what would have happened if his birth mother hadn't left him under the care of the Forest. Would he even be alive? How would his life have turned out if the unicorns hadn't taken him in?

He brushed the thought away. There was no use in dwelling on the past. His birth mother was tragically gone and the unicorns cared for him like their own son. To everyone else, he was a brother, a cousin, a nephew. He was simply Heron.

"Come play with us, Heron!" the pups yipped at him, catching his attention. "You can even be predator this time!" The youth smiled at that. The little ones always wanted to play predator in their games of Predator and Prey. It was a good way for them to work on their hunting skills, but they really did need to be 'prey' more often. It could teach them a lot about how prey thinks and acts under stress.

"Okay, okay," he said, climbing off his rock as the little ones crowded him in their excitement. He stretched, testing his legs and arms. Being a human among wolves gave him the disadvantage of only having two legs, but he had enough skills to make up for that. "I'm going to count to five...And then I'm going to catch you and eat you up! One...Two..." The little wolves took of giggling madly. They really did make horrible prey.

Rolling his eyes, Heron kept counting. "Three...Four...Fi...ve..." The last number died on his lips as he spotted a new wolf enter the clearing hesitantly. They rarely got visitors this far out from the Forest's edge. Perhaps it was a new wolf seeking for a pack? It was not an unheard of thing. Wolves needed packs, and the Forest pack was one of the largest in the area. On more than one occasion, a lone werewolf from outside of the Forest had been drawn in by the power of the pack.

Heron pushed a long lock of black hair from out of his eyes before glancing over at Nevier, the pack's alpha. Their eyes locked for a seond – green meeting gold - before the youth respectfully dropped his eyes to the alpha's chin. In the dominance hierarchy, Heron was usually high up then Nevier. However, on a full moon, the alpha took precedence.

Without looking into the grey wolf's eyes, the youth tilted his head towards the newcomer questioningly. Had Nevier any knowledge of someone interested in joining their pack? Did he smell a threat upon the blonde wolf currently making his way towards them? The alpha sniffed the air experimentally before shaking his head. No ill intent in the air. He slowly turned to look at the new wolf, curiosity in his gold eyes.

"Stranger," Nevier greeted. His voice was low and sent a rumble through the chests of those gathered. "Where do you hail from?"

The new wolf lowered his chest to the ground, taking a position of submission, recognizing the authority in the alpha's voice. "I hail from outside of the Forbidden Forest, near Hogwarts, the school for witches and wizards. I…teach there when I am…human," he said, voice carrying a strange waver to it. It had a feel of fear and hunger to it.

"When you are human?" The grey alpha chuckled in amusement, black lips quirking up in a canine smile. "If you are a werewolf, you are never really human. You should know that," he said. "What is your name, wolf?"

"I…" The blonde wolf seemed at a lost for a moment. "My wolf side is called Moony. I normally drink a potion and curl up underneath my office desk on full moons. But today…Today, I forgot to take my Wolfsbane potion and…and the next thing I knew I was running through the woods. I could feel your pack. I never felt that before. I…" He trailed off, nose sniffing the air. "What is that…?"

Suddenly, the small wolf's amber eyes snapped over near the rocks, where Heron still stood. His pupils dilated to ridiculous proportions and a long line of saliva started to form in the corner of Moony's mouth. Within moments, the wolf had gone from a submissive stance to that of a predator. The change startled Heron. It had been a very long time since any werewolf had looked at the young man with hunger.

Heron put a hand inside the small pack tied to his leather shorts and withdrew a short stone blade. As much as he detested being called human, he was one. He had sharp teeth and nails like claws, but against a hungry werewolf, his defenses were lacking.

As the black haired youth crouched into a defensive position, he became aware of a new sound in the clearing – growling. Every pack member was growling in a terrifying yet harmonious choir. They, without words, were warning this stranger of the harm which would be done to him should he attack. It filled Heron's heart with warmth for his family.

It was also enough to pull Moony back to his senses. The small wolf crouched back down, petulantly. "Why do you protect food?" he asked, voice harsher than before. It also was a deeper pitch, which was unusual in the wolves Heron knew. There seemed to be a very distinctive difference in the two sides of the blonde.

"This is not food, this is pack," Nevier growled, danger prevalent in his tone. "We do not attack pack."

Moony's eyes, still dilated with hunger, followed Heron's every move. "It is not wolf, and it is not wolf's predator. How does food become pack?" he asked, sounding genuinely curious. "How do you restrain yourselves in tearing it apart?" His now nearly black eyes were starting to lighten again. That was a good sign.

When the stranger had entered the clearing, many of the cubs had run for cover. Now, one of them cautiously crept toward Heron. "Heron's pack because we love him!" A few other cubs yipped in agreement. "He's also the unicorn prince! They'd be really mad if we ate him. But we wouldn't anyway because we love him!" The tiny cub put her forepaws against Heron's legs, wagging her tail when he looked down at her.

The alpha hid a smile and glanced sternly at the cub, motioning with his nose that she return to safety with the others. As he watched her do so, he spoke to Moony. "We are not subject to the crazed nature many werewolves outside the forest seem to suffer. We are able to control ourselves and think with reason. And, Victoria is correct. We do have a soft spot for the unicorn prince."

Heron smiled at the alpha in pleasure before looking back into Moony's eyes. They were amber again, but he could see hunger still dwelling in their depths. There was also something in the wolf's eyes that called to the young man. Behind the amber glassy surface, the colors dipped and swirled. A pulse beat, dragging Heron deep within them.

It was something…that touched his very soul. He had seen eyes that called to him like that before. The same potential laid in Moony. So, within minutes of staring into those amber depths, Heron knew what he had to do. "Moony, in the morning, will you return to this school of yours?"

The blonde wolf nodded slowly. "I…I cannot stay here, as much as I may desire to learn more about this control the wolves living here possess," he said.

Heron made a mental note to himself about Moony's desire. He found it odd werewolves on the outside lacked control. He hadn't known such a thing was true; although, it would make a lot of sense. Many outsider wolves ended up staying with the pack once the moon began to wane, rather than going out of the Forest again. It was the primary reason Nevier's pack was so large.

"When you return to this school, I want you to take me with you," he said, his voice commanding rather than asking it. Almost immediately following his words, the pack broke out into a loud commotion of confusion and dismay. He raised his hand though, smiling slightly. "I see something in his eyes."

The protests lessened significantly; however, the pack's general disagreement over his statement was abundantly clear. "While you are pack – through bonds of friendship and respect – I cannot command you against such folly," the alpha said, ears flattened in distaste of the situation. "The only thing that gives me comfort is my knowledge in your strong relationship with this land. If the Forest chooses to put an opportunity before you in the form of this strange wolf, I must trust it…and you. You have good instincts. Use them," he said, gold eyes boring into the young man.

Heron nodded. "I will," he promised. "I cannot tell you more of what I see right now. Nor will I be able to tell you in the morning. Only time will be able to reveal the answer. For now, I suggest we continue with the night. The moon is still high in the sky. There is still some griffin left, and there is plenty more to hunt besides. Let us make the most out of this beautiful full moon."

The alpha nodded his consent before casting his glance over the entire pack. "Yes," he said. "Let us feast and make merry." His tone was jovial, but he felt a foreign emotion stirring within his breast: fear. He could feel change in the air.

So, please, thoughts on the new version? I really want your input on this one, readers!