Heidi leaned down, almost falling once, and picked up a thick branch. It was smooth and barkless, and the perfect size for a cane. Holding her breath, she tried a step. The fire burned up her ankle again, but now it wasn't as bad as before. 

Heidi sat down on a nearby stone, pondering her predicament. The only way to get home was to walk, and she could barely do that as it was. The sun set in three hours, and it took her one hour to ride home, with Bandit at a fast pace. Usually, she could keep steady at a pace of about half of Banditś, or two hours. But right now, her pace was only half of that, or maybe even less! It might take her four hours to get home, and the forest was dangerous at night. In addition, Heidi didn have a way to call for help, and had no survival equipment, like her hiking knife, or blankets if she had to stay in the forest overnight. ¨Stupid Bandit,” Heidi muttered bitterly. ¨Ẅas I wrong about you!¨

Was she.

Bandit, for his part, was beginning to have second thoughts about his adventure. After all, his life wasn't all that bad. Heidi cared for him well, gave him good food, and he was always bedded down knee-deep in orchard grass hay. But walking alone through this forest, with the owls beginning to peek their heads out of their hollows, went against all of his instincts. 

 However, now, in the forest, Bandit could see nothing but trees. It unnerved him, because no matter what fantasies he had, he was a pet. Not a mighty warhorse, ready for battle, or even a thick-muscled cart horse. Nor was he a quick, lithe thoroughbred, a well-trained show jumper, or a finely bred dressage ride. No, he was a spoiled pet with no true purpose. He wasn't even a stallion, but a gelding.

Not knowing the way home, he turned and began to search for Heidi, his master and protector. Perhaps she wasn't that bad after all.

Far away in the park, limping painfully even with her staff, was Heidi. She was smart, and she knew she would never make it home like this, let alone before dark. So now, what she needed to do was find a shelter near a source of water and perhaps even food, such as a berry bush (Heidi had memorized the edible plants found in her area and their poisonous cousins). A cool wind swept around her now, and she shivered. Michagan was cold in the fall, and her jacket was with Bandit. Her head grew fuzzy, and she realized dimly that she was developing a fever. An infection, too, was sure to begin in her festering wounds. ¨I've got to find shelter…¨ The thought pounded through her head. 

Heidi staggered through the forest, twigs and thorns snagging her clothes. The air grew steadily colder, and the sky grew darker. Heidi had found no water, and was parched. The forest grew wilder and she went on, and she was sure that she'd lost the path  -- but it didn't matter. Not much, anyway; she still had her compass. 

Suddenly, Heidi became aware of something very important. Thick black clouds had gathered in the sky, making the forest even darker than it would be normally and casting long shadows that danced with the wind. This meant that a storm was coming. Thunder rumbled; a huge lion in the sky.The revelation was greeted with mixed emotions from Heidi. A storm would be terrible to travel in, but it also meant water. Heidi wobbled precariously from where she was standing, and she reached out with a hand to steady herself. 

Heidi rubbed her eyes and forced herself to focus on her surroundings, even though her head hurt when she did so. A sleepy owl was hooting nearby; probably waking up for his nighttime hunt. Leaves rustled in the canopy with an odd echo, like whispers of the past. Heidi struggled momentarily to clear her head. This reminded her of something. ¨Oh,¨ She thought, stunned, ¨Iḿ standing on stone!¨ Heidi fell to her knees and began to dig. Sure enough, only half a foot of earth covered rough, yellow-gray limestone. ¨YES!¨ Heidi thought triumphantly. So that was what the climb had been about -- she'd been climbing the Lathrop Caverns!

The caverns were the parkś only complete form of shelter, and Heidi had stumbled right across it! Heidi almost fell over with relief. Filled with new energy, she hurried back down the hill. Once she was on level ground again, she limped around the hill, looking for the entry to the cavern. Finally, rounding a corner, she caught sight of the entry tunnel. Heidi hurried over to it, peering anxiously through the canopy at the dark storm clouds growing ever closer.

Heidi ducked into the cave, stunned by the utter silence. She´d grown used to the rustle of leaves and the deep rumble of thunder, and now there was nothing. Heidi collapsed against a naturally formed limestone pillar, suddenly fatigued. Slowly she slid down until she sat on the slightly wet stone floor. In some places, the ground was covered in dirt, and Heidi closed her eyes with a shudder. Guano -- bat feces. Thankfully, Heidi wasn't scared of bats. 

Heidi sighed. Finally, she could rest. The cave was cold and damp, but outside there would soon be rain and cold winds. But even with this knowledge, Heidi despared. How would anyone ever find her? Exhausted, Heidi fell into a restless sleep.

Heidi woke up only a few minutes later, after hearing an eerily familiar noise. Her eyelids fluttered open and she rubbed them, hardly believing her eyes. Inches from her face, Heidi could see a horse muzzle. Bandit smacked his lips nervously. He'd never seen his owner laying on the ground. He scraped a hoof against the rock floor, and Heidi smiled weakly. ¨Hey, boy…”She murmured. ¨Gonna get my some expensive farrier bills? I guess it doesn't matter now, though, as long as I get home.¨

Bandit shook out his coat, flank rippling with relief. Heidi was not dead. In fact, right now, she was stroking his muzzle. The chestnut-bay horse sighed deeply, lips fluttering. He backed off and kneeled down, hind in the air and front lowered. Heidi laughed. ¨I thought you didn't learn that trick!¨ She cried. Heidi pulled herself to her feet, muscles protesting, and stumbled over to Bandit. Wincing, she pulled herself up onto his lowered shoulders. Bandit didn't move until Heidi grabbed a hand of his wiry mane. Then he stood up, carrying Heidi to safety.