Chapter 2

We skim above a dark, wild ocean. The camera turns toward a lone island, Berk. It is a gigantic shard of rock jutting straight out of the water.

HICCUP (V.O.)

This, is Berk. Its twelve days north of hopeless, and a few degrees south of freezing to death. It's located solidly on the meridian of misery

Everyone looked at Hiccup when his voice came out of the screen. He shrugged. He had no idea what was going on. Stoick looked at his son. 'Did he really think of his home like that?' he thought. Several other Vikings chuckled at the accurate description of their home.

The camera drifts over rolling hills to reveal a small village nestled on an outcropping of seamounts

HICCUP (V.O.) (CONT'D)

My village. In a word, sturdy. And it's been here for seven generations, but every single building is new.

"Jeash, I wonder why," Snotlout said obnoxiously. Wolf grabbed some of the popcorn and threw a piece at him. It hit him between the eyes and he shut up.

The camera drifts closer, circling.

HICCUP (V.O.) (CONT'D)

We have fishing, hunting, and a charming view of the sunsets. The only problems are the pests. You see, most places have mice or mosquitos. We have...

"What do we have?" Tuffnut asked. Ruffnut promptly hit her brother in the head in annoyance.

Sheep graze peacefully on a hillside. Suddenly one is snatched.

CUT TO:

INT. STOICK'S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS

A door is pulled open... as a DRAGON swoops directly toward it, BLASTING FIRE. The door is SLAMMED. The fire shoots through the slats of wood, illuminating HICCUP, a gangly teenage Viking.

HICCUP

...dragons.

"Ohh. That makes sense," Tuffnut said.

EXT. STOICK'S HOUSE

He reopens the sizzling door, as leaps off of the front porch. He weaves through the erupting mayhem as Vikings pour out of the buildings, ready for a fight.

"Oh Hiccup. Why didn't you stay inside?" Gobber teased. Hiccup rolled his eyes.

"My house just caught on fire. I would have died. Besides I needed to get to the forge to help your sorry butt," Hiccup replied with an eye roll. Gobber replied by sticking his tongue out.

HICCUP (V.O.)

Most people would leave. Not us. We're Vikings. We have stubbornness issues.

"Oi!" several Vikings called out.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Gobber asked with a face of mock hurt.

"Exactly what it said. Stubbornness issues." Hiccup said rolling his eyes.

Vikings sound the alarm. Viking men and women pour out into the streets, axes in hand. ON HICCUP darting through alleys, staying under eaves, making his way through the battle.

"Being small has its advantages," Hiccup said to the villager's awed looks.

HICCUP (V.O.) (CONT'D)

My name's Hiccup. Great name, I know. But it's not the worst. Parents believe a hideous name will frighten off gnomes and trolls. Like our charming Viking demeanor wouldn't do that.

Dragons sweep back and forth, dodging axes and blasting the Vikings who throw them. A burly warrior gets tossed in an explosion, knocking Hiccup to the ground.

VIKING (FIERCE)

Arggghhhhh! (Cheery, insane) Mornin'!

"Sorry 'bout that," said Viking said rubbing the back of his head.

"No problem," Hiccup replied shrugging.

Hiccup gets to his feet and continues to rush past gigantic men and women.

HICCUP (V.O.)

Meet the neighbors. Hoark the Haggard...

HOARK

What are you doing out!?

HICCUP

... Burnthair the Broad...

BURNTHAIR

Get inside!

HICCUP

... Phlegma the Fierce...

PHLEGMA THE FIERCE

Get back inside!

HICCUP

. Ack.

He passes a silent ox of a Viking, picking his ear.

Ack shrugged at the look the others were giving him.

HICCUP (CONT'D)

Yep, just Ack.

Enter STOICK, the biggest Viking of all. He yanks Hiccup from the path of a strafing dragon and holds aloft to the crowd.

"Does everyone have to do that?" Hiccup complained throwing up his hands. Wolf leaned over to him.

"Wait till you see the other movies. And yes we are probably going to keep you here to watch all of them."

STOICK

Hiccup!

(Accusingly; to the crowd)

What is he doing out again?!

(TO HICCUP)

What are you doing out?! Get inside!

The flames light up his scowling face and matted red beard. He sets Hiccup down and turns to the sky, searching.

HICCUP (V.O.)

(IN AWE)

That's Stoick the Vast. Chief of the tribe. They say that when he was a baby he popped a dragon's clean off of its shoulders. Do I believe it?

Stoick grabs a wooden cart and hurls it, knocking the strafing dragon out of the sky.

HICCUP (V.O.) (CONT'D)

Yes I do.

An EXPLOSION forces Vikings to DUCK. Stoick stands firm, brushing flaming debris off of his shoulder.

STOICK

(Barking; to his men) What have we got?

VIKING #1

Gronkles. Nadders. Zipplebacks. Oh, and Hoark saw a Monstrous Nightmare.

STOICK

Any Night Furies?

VIKING #1

None so far.

STOICK

(RELIEVED)

Good.

Toothless huffed at him.

"There, there bud," Hiccup patted Toothless's head. You could see guilt on his face as he tried to comfort the dragon. Toothless sensed his rider's unease and cooed softly.

VIKING

Hoist the torches!

Massive flaming braziers are raised on poles, lighting up the night sky... and revealing swirling dragons of all types. Below, Hiccup crosses an open plaza and ducks into an open building with a tall chimney.

INT. BLACKSMITH STALL - CONTINUOUS

He crosses behind a counter, where a peg-legged, one-armed hulk of a Blacksmith reshapes blades with a hammer and tongs appendage.

GOBBER

Ah! Nice of you to join the party. I thought you'd been carried off.

Hiccup dons a leather apron and starts to put away Gobber's scattered appendages.

HICCUP

Who me? Nah, come on! I'm way too muscular for their taste. They wouldn't know what to do with all this.

Hiccup strikes a bodybuilder pose.

Basically everyone laughed at Hiccup's attempt to look tough.

GOBBER

They need toothpicks, don't they?

Hiccup gets to work, transferring bent and chipped weapons to the forge as Vikings crowd the counter for replacements.

"You really need to clean the forge sometime," Hiccup said teasingly. Gobber responded by shaking his head.

"Got you for that," he teased. Hiccup rolled his eyes.

HICCUP (V.O.)

The meathead with attitude and interchangeable hands is Gobber. I've been his apprentice ever since I was little. Well...littler.

"Who you calling a meathead!" Gobber huffed.

"You, Meathead!" Hiccup called back. Several Vikings laughed at the close relations between the two.

"How little were you when you started being his apprentice?" Astrid asked looking at him. Gobber and Hiccup exchanged a look.

"I officially became his apprentice when I was six, but I used to hang around in the forge since I was four. Believe me when I say this. Gobber had no idea how to handle a toddler," Hiccup stuck his tongue out at the blacksmith. Stoick watched, with slight envy, as his son and best friend bantered back and forth.

EXT. VILLAGE - CONTINUOUS

ON STOICK

STOICK

We move to the lower defenses. We'll counter-attack with the catapults.

Armed men rush past, flanking others who carry sheep to safety. Stoick follows up the rear as, overhead, a dragon strafes the rooftops with Napalm-like fire.

HICCUP (V.O.)

See? Old village. Lots and lots of new houses.

"You always were one for sarcasm," Fishlegs said laughing lightly. Hiccup rolled his eyes.

VIKING

FIRE!

In response, the fire brigade charges through the plaza - four TEENS, tugging a large wooden cask on wheels. From it, they fill buckets of water to douse the flames. One among them is a cute, energetic Viking girl. Hiccup leans out of the stall to watch her.

HICCUP (V.O.)

Oh and that's Fishlegs, Snotlout. The twins Ruffnut and Tuffnut. And… (DREAMY) Astrid.

A SLOW-MOTION explosion erupts behind her, framing her in a sexy ball of fire. The others join her, looking awesome and heroic.

"Woah. We look awesome!" Tuffnut yelled banging heads with Ruffnut. The other teens all nodded. Fox looked at the girl she had basically kidnapped.

"You know he likes you right?" Fox asked. Astrid nodded her head. If you looked close enough you could see Hiccup blushing bright red.

HICCUP (V.O.) (CONT'D)

Their job is so much cooler.

Hiccup tries to join them as they pass, but he's hooked by Gobber and hoisted back inside.

"Again with the manhandling!" Hiccup exclaimed throwing his hands up. Toothless crooned at his rider in agreement.

HICCUP (CONT'D) (PLEADING)

Ah, come on. Let me out, please. I need to make my mark.

GOBBER

Oh, you've made plenty of marks. All in the wrong places.

Several other Vikings nodded in agreement.

HICCUP

Please, two minutes. I'll kill a dragon. My life will get infinitely better. I might even get a date.

GOBBER

You can't lift a hammer. You can't swing an axe...

Gobber grabs a bola (iron balls connected by rope).

GOBBER (CONT'D)

... You can't even throw one of these.

A Viking runs by and nabs it out of Gobber's hand, hurling it at a dive-bombing Gronkle. The bola binds its legs, sending it into a heavy crash.

HICCUP (ready with the answer)

Okay fine, but...

He rushes to the back corner of the stall and presents a bizarre, wheel barrow-like contraption.

HICCUP (CONT'D)

... This will throw it for me.

Hiccup OPENS the hinged lid of the device. An arm springs up, equipped with twin bows. They prematurely launch a bola, narrowly missing Gobber... and taking out a Viking at the counter.

"That hurt ya' know!" the Viking yelled across the room.

"Sorry! Mild calibration issue!" Hiccup yelled back.

VIKING

Arggh!

GOBBER

See, now this right here is what I'm talking about.

HICCUP

Mild calibration issue.

GOBBER

Hiccup. If you ever want to get out there to fight dragons, you need to stop all…

Gobber gestures in Hiccup's general direction.

GOBBER (CONT'D)

... This.

HICCUP (ASTONISHED)

But... you just pointed to all of me.

GOBBER

Yes! That's it! Stop being all of you.

"You are not very good at pep talks Gobber," Hiccup said sparing a glance at Gobber to see him shrugging.

HICCUP (THREATENING)

Ohhhh...

GOBBER (MIMICKING)

Ohhhhh, yes.

HICCUP

You, sir, are playing a dangerous game. Keeping this much, raw...Vikingness contained. (BEAT) There will be consequences!

Gobber tosses him a sword.

"Hiccup can lift that!" basically all of the village exclaimed. Hiccup scowled in response.

GOBBER

I'll take my chances. Sword. Sharpen. Now.

Hiccup takes it begrudgingly and lobs it onto the grinding wheel. He stews... fantasizing...

HICCUP (V.O.)

One day I'll get out there. Because killing a dragon is everything around here.

EXT. VILLAGE - LOWER PLAINS - CONTINUOUS

Nadders land, gathering like seagulls around a seemingly vacant house.

HICCUP (V.O.)

A Nadder head is sure to get me at least noticed.

The Nadders beside Hiccup raised their heads proudly.

The Nadders clamber onto the building, tearing the roof and walls apart. Sheep pour out and SCATTER. Elsewhere, hippo-like Gronckles pick drying racks clean of fish and fly off like loaded pelicans.

HICCUP (V.O.) (CONT'D)

Gronckles are tough. Taking down one of those would definitely get me a girlfriend.

The gronkles flapped their wings and crooed in delight.

A stealthy, snake-like dragon head peeks over a rooftop, breathing gas into a chimney.

HICCUP (V.O.) (CONT'D)

A Zippelback? Exotic, exciting. Two heads, twice the status.

Several Zippelbacks made small explosions by lighting their gas.

A second head pokes through the door and lights it. KABLAM! The two heads fly through the explosion, their necks zipping together to reveal a single body. It flies past Stoick as he climbs to the top of a CATAPULT

TOWER.

CATAPULT OPERATOR

They found the sheep!

STOICK (FRUSTRATED)

Concentrate fire over the lower bank!

CATAPULT OPERATOR

Fire!

Boulders are catapulted at the corralling Nadders… Just as a huge red dragon whips past, spraying the base of the catapult with sticky fire.

HICCUP (V.O.)

And then there's the Monstrous Nightmare. Only the best Vikings go after those. They have this nasty habit of setting themselves on fire.

Most of the Nightmare lit themselves on fire in excitement. Toothless growled at one Nightmare who got too close to Hiccup while still on fire.

It emerges from the flames, climbing the catapult with a leering, toothy grin.

STOICK

Reload! I'll take care of this.

Stoick takes on the Nightmare, face to hammer. Suddenly, a LOUD BALLISTIC MOANING streaks overhead. The catapult crew ducks.

INT. BLACKSMITH STALL - CONTINUOUS

ON HICCUP, looking up from his work, reacting to the same sound.

HICCUP (V.O.)

But the ultimate prize is the dragon no one has ever seen. We call it the-

"What do you call it?" Tuffnut called out. He was promptly slapped on the head by Ruffnut.

"Doofas, he's going to tell up in a second."

VIKING

Night Fury! Get down!

Vikings everywhere take shelter. The moaning sound BUILDS.

EXT. VILLAGE - CATAPULT - CONTINUOUS

The Monstrous Nightmare suddenly stops fighting and takes flight. Stoick looks skyward.

STOICK

JUMP!

KABOOM! The Catapult EXPLODES as though hit by an artillery shell... sending Stoick and the crew leaping for their lives.

HICCUP (V.O.)

This thing never steals food, never shows itself, and…

The sound recedes, leaving the crippled catapult in flames.

HICCUP (V.O.) (CONT'D)

...never misses.

Toothless gave a light roar in happiness.

"Yeah, yeah bud we know. You are special," Hiccup teased. Toothless used his tail fin to lightly flick Hiccup's head. Toothless did his dragon laugh.

HICCUP (V.O.) (CONT'D) (BEAT)

No one has ever killed a Night Fury. That's why I'm going to be the first.

"Nope. Sorry. Not happening," Hiccup declared. Basically everyone looked at him in shock. Stoick the most.

IN THE STALL

Gobber trades his hammer for an axe.

GOBBER

Man the fort, Hiccup, they need me out there!

Gobber pauses. Turns with a threatening glare.

GOBBER (CONT'D)

Stay. Put. There. You know what I mean.

"Sit. Roll over. Beg," Gobber teased pointing. Hiccup turned to him with a deadpanned look.

"Woof."

Gobber charges into the fray, HOLLERING. ON HICCUP, a smirk crosses his face.

EXT. VILLAGE - MOMENTS LATER

HAM! Hiccup pushes his wheeled contraption through a wall of clustered Vikings. He weaves through the ongoing mayhem, as fast as his legs can carry him.

"Why didn't you stay put?" Stoick exclaimed.

"If I did then I wouldn't have met Toothless," Hiccup replied instantly. His tone was slightly dark. Stoick looked taken aback. As did everyone else.

VIKING #6 (O.S)

Hiccup, where are you going!

VIKING #7

Come back here!

HICCUP

I know. Be right back!

"Did you really think I was coming back?" Hiccup asked. The Viking rubbed the back of his head and sheepishly nodded.

ON THE PLAIN BELOW

The Nadders have cornered the house-full of sheep. They close in, ready to spring upon them. Stoick suddenly appears, HURLING FISHING NETS over them. The surprised Nadders are caught. Stoick and his men rush in. A Nadder blasts a hole through its net. Stoick leaps onto it, clamping his thick arms around its head, forcing its jaws shut.

STOICK

Mind yourselves! The devils still have some juice in them.

ON THE PLAIN ABOVE

Hiccup reaches a cliff overlooking the smoking CATAPULT and drops the handles to the ground. He cranks several levers, unfolding and then cocking the bowed arms of his contraption. He drops a bola onto a chamber and then pivots the weapon on a gimbal head toward the dark sky. He listens, with his eye pressed to the scope, hand poised on the trigger. He hears the NIGHT FURY approaching... and turns his aim to the defense tower. It closes in for the final strike, completely camouflaged in the night.

"I am so sorry about this bud," Hiccup said turning his head into Toothless's scales.

HICCUP

(TO HIMSELF)

Come on. Give me something to shoot at, give me something to shoot at.

KABLAM! The tower topples. The blast of fire illuminates the dragon for a split second. Hiccup pulls the trigger. KERTHUNK! The flexed arms SNAP forward, springing the weapon off the ground. The bola disappears into the sky, followed by a WHACK and a SCREECH.

The Vikings were stunned into silence.

"You actually hit it. Son I am so sorry for not believing you. When we get back to Berk we will send out a search party immed-," Stoick was cut off by Hiccup glaring.

"No. I refuse to let you kill my best friend!" Hiccup yelled out with so much anger that the other Vikings were stunned into silence. Gobber seemed to be the only one not all that surprised.

"Hiccup. What have those beasts done to you?" Stoick asked in a slight whisper, but with the silence around them everyone heard it easily.

"They haven't done anything to me! The only thing they have done is be there for me when nobody else was! The only thing those beasts have done is convince me that I am not a Viking and never will be. Oh, and the only reason I have done so well in dragon training is because I have interacted with Toothless! I hate that I shot Toothless down and made it so he can't fly without me! But he is the only friend I have out of the entire village! I have tried everything I could to make you proud of me and it only led to more disappointed looks when it didn't work! But at least I tried to do something! You were NEVER there! Gobber acted more like a father than you! If it means that I can stay with my only friend THEN I AM GLAD I AM NOT A VIKING!" Hiccup yelled out in anger.