The second dire bear sunk its teeth into Molly's side, blood seeping down its throat. Frolick's eyes widened in fear as Molly's trunk curled in agony.

This bear was likely the mate of the first. And it looked angry. Very angry. Its eyes glowed red hot with an inner rage. It had a rugged, disheveled look to it with unkempt hair and elongated claws and teeth. Definitely a dire animal, Frolick thought to himself.

Molly let out a high-pitched squeal as she attempted to pull away from her attacker. She was trying to reposition herself to charge. But the bear held its jaws tightly locked onto her side.

Where was Frost? Frolick thought, looking around. Had he abandoned them now? His brother was supposed to be the fighter in the family, not Frolick.

There was no time to wait. Time to take things into his own hands.

Frolick picked up a large stick and ran at the beast, slamming it into the bear's back. It landed with a thud, barely bruising the creature. The bear momentarily turned its attention to Frolick, striking him with its claw. The blow left four parallel cuts across Frolick's right shoulder and knocked him to the ground.

The pain was visceral. Frolick clenched his teeth as the sting shot through his nervous system like an electric jolt. He grasped at the wound.

Molly was no better off. The bitemark in her side was pouring blood. The wound wasn't fatal yet, but would be with a little more work.

The monstrous creature gnashed its teeth and stared intently at the woolly mammoth. Its bloodlust was palpable. The dire bear sensed a worthy kill. And a meal to last the season.

"No," Frolick said, weakly. He stood up and took a defensive posture. "Don't hurt my girl." The reality was there was little he could do to stop its relentless attack. Molly was tough, but against something like this, even she might not survive.

Frolick narrowed his eyes, red blood rushing down his shoulder. He wouldn't stand by and watch Molly be killed like this. But what could he do? He picked up a rock and clenched it in his hand. If he could provide a distraction, maybe, just maybe, Molly could get it with one of her tusks. Or at least bodyslam it, as he'd taught her. As big as the dire bear was, Molly was bigger. If she could just use that to her advantage.

Frolick threw his rock, which landed on the bear's back. The bear pivoted its head. It was more annoyed than before. Its eyes glowed red, while saliva dripped from its mouth.

Oh dear, this would not end well. Frolick's eyes flitted. Where in the Five Causes was Frost?

As the bear ran at Frolick, he wondered whether he would amount to a full meal. He wasn't very muscular and had very little fat on his body. Probably not, he decided.

In an instant, a long blue spear soared through the air, embedding itself into the bear's back. The beast roared in anger, pivoting its body upon impact. The stick protruded out of it like the antennae of a giant insect.

A second spear repeated the maneuver, flying through the air like a dart and burying itself into the creature's shoulder.

Frostilicus stepped into plain view, magnificently coated in icy blue armor. His helmet was crowned with spiked spires that rose to the sky, and his plate glinted in the moonlit night. Burning through the dark interior of his armored helm were two glowing blue eyes that matched the redness of the dire bear's for luminescent ire.

The bear let out a rictus snarl. Placing four paws on the ground, it charged at Frost.

This time, he was ready.

Frostilicus withdrew a third spear and readied his stance. As the bear approached, Frost ran toward it with his spear extended in front of his body.

As the gap between the two light-eyed warriors closed, Frost extended his weapon and plunged it into the ground. He used it as a pole vault, catapulting himself over the head of the beast, landing on the other side. As he maneuvered through the air, he twisted his body and landed facing the back of the confused creature.

Retrieving his spear, Frostilicus lifted it over his right shoulder and plunged it into the bear's lower back, directly into its lung.

Then he released the frost forms, dissolving all three of the ice spears sticking out of the dire animal into pure water. Blood rushed out of the bear's side and shoulder where the first two spears had been. Out of the bear's back, air rushed out of its deflating lung. The bear was left gasping for breath.

It turned and glared at Frostilicus. It sensed its own death, and yet—

And yet, it wouldn't accept defeat. Like a proud, dying soldier, the dire bear lunged.

At that point, Frost pulled. The released water from his former weapons rematerialized in his hands, again in the form of a spear. This one three times the size of all the others.

He immediately plunged the weapon's brunt side into the ground at a 45-degree angle with the spiked tip facing the oncoming dire bear.

The monstrous creature lunged forward in its final assault, landing directly on the top of the spear, impaled through its heart.