I met my first love while I was walking in the woods. I was wandering down the path, smelling the dandelions, when I heard a sound in the bushes. I walked over quietly, hoping that it would be a fox. There were many in my neighborhood, but they were easily startled, and I wanted to get a look at one up close. I made my way through the brambles, pushing my way through green leaves and tiny white flowers. The sound grew closer. I stopped. It didn't really sound like a fox... But I had come this far. Maybe it was a rabbit, or a deer. I pushed forward. Soon, I could see the animal's fur through the trees. I stopped. Was it a deer? It was too big to be anything else. But it's fur seemed to dark, and weren't deer supposed to be quiet? The animal growled. It stood up. I screamed and fell backward as the giant bear turned and faced me.

The brown bear roared, louder this time, and I tried to stay calm. I had read somewhere that bears could be scared off if you were bigger or louder than them. Hmmm. Probably not helpful for a kid like me. Nevertheless I grabbed a stick and waved it at the bear. "Stay back!" I screamed at it, trying to make myself look taller. The bear tilted its head. For a second, I could have sworn it was laughing at me. Then it bared its teeth and charged. I closed my eyes. I knew I could never outrun a bear. I would be torn to shreds and eaten. I waited for the claws to descend on me... 

But they never came. I opened my eyes in shock when I heard the bear whimper. Was it actually running away from me?...Or something behind me? "Are you okay?" I turned and gasped. Standing over me was a dragon, with green scales and orange eyes. There were sharp purple horns running down his neck and tail, and his claws were curved like scythes. Wow...No wonder the bear had run away. "Who are you?" I asked in awe. "I am Ladon, the last of my kind." the dragon answered. "Long ago, all of the dragons in this land were cursed to become human. I alone avoided the curse, and I have been searching for the lost dragons of Earth." My eyes widened. "That...is very awesome." "Yup." Ladon agreed. "And actually, you happen to be one of them. So...wanna be a dragon?" Umm, definitely!" I cried. And so I became a dragon. Ladon and I fell in love, and lived happily ever after...Not! 

I'm like fourteen. I don't have a first love yet. I might never have one, and I am perfectly fine with not dealing with all that mushy romance stuff anyway. Seriously, it's cool if people want to be all lovey dovey and date and fall in love and get married. A lot of my friends do. Just leave me out of it! (And remember, all marriages end in either divorce or death).