EXT. TRAINING GROUNDS - DAY
Gobber raises a massive iron gate at the entrance of a vast
stone arena.
"Hey, it's the arena," Tuffnut states the obvious, earning him a punch from Ruffnut. Astrid rolled her eyes, and got back to thinking about the village runt. Hiccup.
He was small. He was weak. He never thought things through. But he tried.
Astrid, unlike the other vikings, knew Hiccup tried. That's what his inventions were for. The first few years, Astrid tried to cheer him on silently, still feeling sorry for the boy she knew couldn't lift a sack of potatoes.
Then it got annoying, and the cheers turned to glares. When had it happened, she didn't know. All she knew was that Hiccup had better get his act together, or there would be trouble.
GOBBER
Welcome to dragon training!
The recruits file through the gate, and out onto the arena
floor. They take it in like gladiators entering the
colosseum. The walls are covered in scorched silhouettes of
blasted Vikings. It's a grim yet awe-inspiring place.
ASTRID
No turning back.
TUFFNUT
I hope I get some serious burns.
"That's smart," Hiccup stated begrudgingly.
RUFFNUT
I'm hoping for some mauling, like
on my shoulder or lower back.
ASTRID
Yeah, it's only fun if you get a
scar out of it.
HICCUP (O.S.)
Yeah, no kidding, right? Pain. Love
It.
The Night Fury snorted next to Hiccup. Laughing at Hiccup's moment of sarcasm and agreeing with him. Hiccup noticed and turned to the dragon, giving it a slow and hesitant smile. It was small, but it was a smile and the dragon understood it.
Hiccup knew he wasn't dangerous.
And that meant that Hiccup was different. He already knew that of course. It was just nice seeing it in real life. Knowing you had someone to relate to in real life, not just some crazy moving image a witch is showing you.
The Night Fury trusted this boy.
The recruits turn to see Hiccup behind them. Groans all
around.
TUFFNUT
Oh great. Who let him in?
Hiccup scoffed. "Because I so wanted to be there."
Tuffnut narrowed his eyes at him but had nothing to say.
GOBBER
Let's get started! The recruit who
does best will win the honor of
killing his first dragon in front
of the entire village.
SNOTLOUT
Hiccup already killed a Night Fury,
so does that disqualify him or...?
The recruits LAUGH and chatter in the background.
Hiccup sighed. He took a Night Fury down. He didn't kill it.
The teenagers didn't laugh along with their future selves. It wasn't funny when Hiccup had actually hit a Night Fury.
TUFFNUT
Can I transfer to the class with
the cool Vikings?
"One class.," Gobber said.
Gobber throws a supportive arm around Hiccup and ushers him
along.
GOBBER
(cheery, in confidence)
Don't worry. You're small and
you're weak. That'll make you less
of a target. They'll see you as
sick or insane and go after the
more Viking-like teens instead.
"Thank you Gobber," Hiccup said, sarcasm and irritation seeping through his voice.
"You're welcome," came Gobber's honest reply.
GOBBER sticks him in line with the others and continues on
toward five massive reinforced doors. Terrible ROARS and
BELLOWS issue from within.
The dragons stop their silent watching and growl. Nobody could blame them for wanting to shoot at a Viking for putting others of their kind in cages.
The Vikings turned around, ready to fight; weapons or no weapons; ability to move or not.
"Stop," Clara said in an annoyed tone. "What's with you guys? All you ever do is fight and speak later. Without the speaking part. Why can't you guys be more like Hiccup?"
Most of the Vikings were about to retort, offended that they had been compared to Hiccup. Some of the dragons growled in agreement though.
"Ha! The day they want to be like me will be the day Vikings fly." Clara beamed at this.
The movie kept going.
GOBBER (CONT'D)
Behind these doors are just a few
of the many species you will learn
to fight.
Fishlegs bounces and giggles with excitement, barely able to
contain himself.
"Well he's excited," commented a Viking, and Fishlegs' parents grinned at their son's enthusiasm. Their son was savvy, and he'd be great in dragon training. Sure, not Hofferson or Haddock (or rather Stoick) material, but great nonetheless.
GOBBER (CONT'D)
The Deadly Nadder.
FISHLEGS
(under his breath)
Speed eight. Armor sixteen.
GOBBER
The Hideous Zippleback.
FISHLEGS
Plus eleven stealth. Times two.
GOBBER
The Monstrous Nightmare.
FISHLEGS
Firepower fifteen.
"Oh gods," Hiccup slowly slid his hand down his face in irritation.
GOBBER
The Terrible Terror.
FISHLEGS
Attack eight. Venom twelve.
GOBBER
CAN YOU STOP THAT?!
"Thank you," Hiccup muttered, lifting himself up and sitting straight. The Night Fury studied him closely, watching him react to everything.
Hiccup was fascinating. Sarcastic but always serious, nimble but clumsy, smart but never thought things through. It left the dragon speechless (so to speak).
(BEAT)
And...the Gronckle.
FISHLEGS
(quietly; to himself)
Jaw strength, eight.
"Ugh," Hiccup scowled, but he wasn't as irritated as it seemed. It was more of an irate amusement at Fishlegs' facts. Not caring, annoyed and pretty impressed, all at once.
Gobber pulls a lever, raising the cross beam on the last of
the doors.
SNOTLOUT
Whoa, wait! Aren't you gonna teach
us first!?
"Nope. Trust me; Gobber's great at teaching, but most don't like his methods. I don't."
"Yet you still love me," grinned Gobber.
"I still don't like your 'learning on the job' method. I still have that scar on my shin!"
"Be glad that was it," Gobber turned to the movie, still showing a wide smile.
Hiccup's mouth twitched, wanting to smile despite his irritation.
Meanwhile, the teens heard the conversation in mild terror. "Learning on the job"?
GOBBER
I believe in learning on the job.
BAM! A GRONCKLE thunders out of its cave, charging into the
ring like an irate rhino.
The recruits scramble in every direction. Except for Ruffnut
and Tuffnut who rush toward it, like pumped-up rodeo clowns.
"Idiots." Hiccup leaned closer to the Night Fury, seemingly whispering to it. To be honest, he hadn''t noticed, but the dragon had. It'd almost growled too, until he realized Hiccup was only speaking. No punches, no touching, no threats. Just a comment directed toward him. Speaking to him as if he was also a person, not just a dragon his father wanted to get rid of every day.
GOBBER (CONT'D)
Today is about survival. If you get
blasted, you're dead. Quick, what's
the first thing you're going to
need?
HICCUP
A doctor?
"Ha," Gobber gave a single laugh and other Vikings gave a small chuckle. If they didn't still end up calling him Hiccup the Useless, they'd have to call him Hiccup the Forever-Sarcastic.
FISHLEGS
Plus five speed?
Fishlegs' parents gave a small smile, not sure whether to reproach their son's dragon manual obsession or not.
ASTRID
A shield.
At this, the Hoffersons smiled proudly. Snotlout even clapped his hands, not ashamed at all that he was the only one.
Some of the dragons took mental notes. If they knew how humans took them down, they could try to use that knowledge to their advantage.
GOBBER
Shields. Go.
The recruits scramble for shields, finding them scattered
around the ring.
GOBBER (CONT'D)
Your most important piece of
equipment is your shield. If you
must make a choice between a sword
or a shield, take the shield.
Hiccup STRUGGLES to lift his. Gobber helps him and sends him
Running.
"Weak," coughed Snotlout, earning a grin from the twins.
Stoick looked reproachfully at the screen. He was mad at Hiccup, yes, but never let it be said that he didn't worry for his son's safety.
Ruff and Tuff stand amidst a dozen shields. But only one has
a skull painted on it. They both grab it.
TUFFNUT
Get your hands off my shield!
RUFFNUT
There are like a million shields!
TUFFNUT
Take that one, it has a flower on
it. Girls like flowers.
Ruffnut uses the shield to BASH Tuffnut in the face. He
doesn't let go.
RUFFNUT
Oops, now this one has blood on
It.
Their parents shake their heads, ashamed. They were the only twins in the village, so they were lucky to have an excuse for why they acted like this. Twins were rare, after all, so it wasn't hard to lie and say that all twins were like this. That was probably the top reason as to why they weren't at Hiccup level.
The Gronckle takes aim at the distracted twins. Blam! The
shield is blasted out of both of their hands. Tuff and Ruff
SPIN like tops and go down.
Some kids in the audience and other dragons laugh at the image.
GOBBER
Tuffnut, Ruffnut, you're out!
TUFFNUT
(DAZED)
What?!
RUFFNUT
(CONFUSED)
What?!
The Gronckle scoops up a pile of rocks and SWALLOWS them
back. The teens gather on the far side of the ring.
"Nice," Hiccup raised a brow in slight humor, slight reproach, "Give the dragon that could kill us all ammo." The Night Fury agreed with the statement, but didn't say (growl) anything. There wasn't a way in the world that would make him take a Viking's side over a dragon's, no matter how nice the human was. (That statement would later be proved wrong during a certain final exam).
GOBBER
Those shields are good for another
thing. Noise. Make lots of it to
throw off a dragon's aim.
The kids scoop up weapons and begin hammering on their
shields. The Gronckle shakes its head at the clatter.
Stoick is relieved to see that Hiccup is at least participating, but turns his attention to the dragon's point of view, curious as to what a dragons view would be like. He enjoyed watching the confused creature, because it assured him that it was too dizzy to attack his tribe (especially Hiccup).
GRONCKLE'S POV - the teens targets become blurry and
scrambled. It's working.
GOBBER (CONT'D)
All dragons have a limited number
of shots. How many does a Gronckle
have?
SNOTLOUT
Five!
"No, six," Fishlegs yells in the excitement, only to have his statement be repeated by his image.
FISHLEGS
No, six.
GOBBER
Correct, six. That's one for each
of you!
FISHLEGS
I really don't think my parents-
WOULD-
BAM! Fishlegs has his shield blasted away.
His parent's wince. No, they didn't like that, but otherwise, the training was fine.
GOBBER
Fishlegs, out.
Gobber spots Hiccup hiding from the Gronckle's molten slugs.
GOBBER (CONT'D)
Hiccup, get in there!
He tried, but returns to his hiding place as soon as another
Blast is shot near him.
ON ASTRID bouncing on her heels, ready to dodge a blast.
Snotlout appears, trying to hit on her.
SNOTLOUT
So anyway I'm moving into my
parents' basement. You should come
by sometime to work out. You look
like you work out-
Hiccup rolls his eyes. He was way past ever being jealous of Snotlout. It was impossible to imagine Astrid with anyone at all.
Snotlout? No.
Tuffnut? Nuh-uh.
Hiccup? Least of all.
Fishlegs? The most probable if you asked Hiccup, but she seemed like she would be a shield maiden when she grew up.
She cartwheels out of the way, allowing a shot to shoot past
her and hit Snotlout's shield. He's blasted onto his back.
Spitelout glares at the Snotlout at the screen. His son was the best of the best when it came to boys, so why couldn't he beat the only teenage girl in dragon training on Berk?
Snotlout groaned, throwing his head back. He was out before Hiccup!
GOBBER
Snotlout! You're done!
Astrid ROLLS to a stop beside Hiccup, who stirs awkwardly,
trying to look cool.
HICCUP
(VOICE BREAKING)
So, I guess it's just you and me
huh?
ASTRID
No. Just you.
Astrid ROLLS away. A split-second later a lava slug knocks
Hiccup's shield clear off of his arm. Hiccup is exposed.
"Nice try," sneers Snotlout, in hopes of recovering his pride.
"How come I didn't get out," protests Hiccup.
"Small ones get an extra life," replied Gobber. Hiccup threw him an irritated glare.
"More like another chance at death," he muttered, and Stoick heard him. He had to agree.
GOBBER
One shot left!
Hiccup panics and chases after his shield as it rolls across
the ring.
The sudden movement sends the Gronckle chasing after him,
leaving Astrid in the clear.
"Uh, help?" Hiccup asks meekly. He didn't look like he knew a Gronckle was chasing him, and that was bad. Very very bad.
The Night Fury looked at the screen, intent on Hiccup's future. He hated to admit it, but he was worried.
GOBBER (CONT'D)
(WORRIED)
Hiccup!
The Gronckle drives straight toward Hiccup, pinning him
against the wall. It opens its mouth and cocks its tail,
ready to fire point-blank.
"Uh, help," this time Hiccup says it louder. Self-preservation was key at the moment, and nothing else mattered to him as he saw the Gronckle's mouth open, preparing a blast.
He didn't hear the Night Fury growl.
He didn't notice his father had stopped breathing.
He didn't hear Gobber's yell for him.
He couldn't see that even Snotlout's eyes had widened and he'd gone stiff (he's his bully, but he's still his cousin too).
Gobber lunges in and hooks the Gronckle's mouth at the last
second, causing its head to jerk back and fire against the
stone wall above Hiccup's head.
Hiccup slumps down in his seat, letting out the breath he'd been holding (looking very much like he had when the Night Fury had left him alive. This time he didn't pass out though). The Gronckle that was apparently destined to fail at killing Hiccup let out a small croon. He'd been scared, it was obvious to any dragon. Of course he'd start attacking.
GOBBER (CONT'D)
(rattled, but masking it)
And that's six!
Gobber wrestles the irate Gronckle back into his pen.
GOBBER (CONT'D)
Go back to bed, ya overgrown
sausage! You'll get another chance,
don't you worry.
Slam! Lock. Gobber turns to the recruits.
The same Gronckle growled, and put its head down in a slump. How humiliating...
GOBBER (CONT'D)
Remember... a dragon will always,
(with a stern look to HICCUP)
always go for the kill.
He hoists Hiccup to his feet and walks off. Hiccup looks
overhead to see a steaming pit in the solid stone wall.
"Wait," Hiccup sat up straighter. He turned to the dragon next to him.
"Then why didn't you?" He and the dragon stared at each other, each trying to figure it out themselves.
Hiccup cocks his head. The Night Fury imitates the action.
Hiccup's eyes widen.
The Vikings looked at the pair. Most in disgust. Others in mild amazement and disgust. The small children, Gothi and Gobber were just amazed.
The movie starts again.
EXT. WOODS/HIDDEN COVE - DUSK
HICCUP, battered after another disastrous day in the ring. He
studies the remnants of the discarded bola... revealing that
he's back at the scene of the crime.
HICCUP
(MUTTERED)
So...why didn't you?
He drops the bola and presses on in the direction it flew
off. He drops into a rocky crevice and follows it to an...
ISOLATED COVE complete with a pristine spring pool. He scans
the high stone walls... then notices a single black SCALE on
the ground. He crouches and picks it up, studying it.
"What are you doing, Hiccup?"
"Figuring it out," Hiccup replies Gobber. Stoick turns to his son. Gobber had joked when calling Hiccup insane, but maybe he'd been right.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Well this was stupid.
"Yes it was," Stoick scolded, and Hiccup sighed.
Then he yelped when...
SUDDENLY, the NIGHT FURY blasts past him. Hiccup recoils,
watching the massive beast struggle to climb the walls. It
flaps violently, then peels away to a rough landing. The
dragon is trapped.
Hiccup grins, excited to see it again, and slips closer.
"You are insane," Ruffnut said, and it wasn't the type of insane she liked.
"Why so happy?" Gobber questions. "Almost never see you smile that excited unless you finish your little inventions."
Some Viking realized that the boy was actually smiling. They'd never seen that before...
"It's," Hiccup struggled to find the words, "Awesome. I might be the first Viking to ever have seen a Night Fury twice and survive."
"And think about the information you could get about it for the Dragon Manual," Fishlegs beamed, just as excited.
"You're both insane," Astrid voiced the crowd's thoughts.
So I'm just a little test subject, huh? The Night Fury is not amused.
He watches as the dragon, exhausted and frustrated, leaps
into the air, beating its wings furiously. Again and again,
it rolls uncontrolled and CRASHES heavily.
"Besides," Hiccup whispers quietly to himself, "you're pretty interesting period." Not to himself, to the Night Fury. To him.
As if remembering to snap a photo, Hiccup pulls a leather-
bound book and flips past drawings of weapons to a blank
page. He sketches the dragon quickly, desperate to record the
image.
"You can draw?" Fishlegs questions.
"How else would I plan out my invention," Hiccup replied, and turned back to the movie, leaving the crowd stunned. Hiccup actually planned out his little schemes? He wasn't just getting really lucky when making weapons?
"I'm serious," he continued to speak to the Night Fury, quietly, so nobody would hear him (not noticing they were still stuck in their own thoughts).
"Small body; wing span is enormous; Black round scales. Great speed even on ground. Not good at climbing though," He looks at the screen in thought.
The Night Fury can't help but feel flattered. Not even he had ever thought of himself in such a way.
"But, why don't you just fly?"
The Fury claws at the steep rock walls, trying climb out of
the cove. It SLIPS and falls hard, crushing several saplings.
The Fury rolls back to his feet and slowly crawls to the
water's edge. He spots fish in the shallow water and snaps at
them... but comes up empty. He lowers his head, looking
Weakened.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
(MUTTERED)
Why don't you just...fly away?
"Wait... Your tail..." He hated when his drawings came out inaccurate.
ON HICCUP as he spots the problem. He adjusts his drawing,
carefully erasing one half of the dragon's tail.
The Night Fury stares at the screen in horror. His precious tail. It was... Half of the... The left...
Great... Now I'm useless, the dragon sunk, ignoring the pitying glances some dragons gave him.
He accidentally drops the charcoal stick. It rolls off of the
rock outcropping that hides him from view and bounces into
the cove. TINK. TINK. TINK.
Hiccup gasps. He trusted the dragon that couldn't attack him in real life. He didn't trust the one that could kill him in three seconds as much (even if it was in the movie).
The Night Fury raises his head, spotting Hiccup. They
exchange a profound, unflinching stare.
The scene started to change, and Hiccup couldn't help getting lost in wonder. Those eyes were so human. The expression was so unclear, yet clear at the same time. He wasn't supposed to understand the Night Fury, or exchange meaningful stares with it. The other Vikings hadn't even noticed why Hiccup was so attracted to the creature.
So why did he?
And why didn't he not like it?