HEY! OKAY, I KNOW MOST OF YOU ARE THINKING "SHE FORGOT AGAIN. DANG, SHE NEVER KEEPS HER PROMISES"
I KNOW, I KNOW, BUT I'VE GOT A REALLY GOOD EXCUSE… I LOST MY COMPUTER *COLECTIVE GASP* I KNOW RIGHT? HORRIBLE. SO I'VE FINALLY FOUND IT, AND THIS TIME I WILL KEEP MY PROMISE. ENJOY!
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.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Well this was stupid.
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.
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.
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.
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)
"this is going to go bad quickly" Yay muttered
(MUTTERED)
Why don't you just...fly away?
"I don't think he can hear you" Tuffnut said dumbly
ON HICCUP as he spots the problem. He adjusts his drawing,
carefully erasing one half of the dragon's tail. 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.
The Night Fury raises his head, spotting Hiccup. They
exchange a profound, unflinching stare.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. GREAT HALL - NIGHT
A storm is brewing outside. The great doors rattle on their
hinges.
GOBBER (O.S.)
Alright. Where did Astrid go wrong
in the ring today?
The recruits are seated at a table, eating dinner by the glow
of the fire pit.
ASTRID
I mistimed my summersault dive. It
was sloppy. It threw off my
reverse tumble.
Eye rolls from the group.
RUFFNUT
(SARCASTIC)
Yeah. We noticed.
SNOTLOUT
(grabbing Astrid's hand)
No, no, you were great. That was
so 'Astrid'.
GOBBER
She's right, you have to be tough
on yourselves.
CREAK. All eyes turn to Hiccup, entering the hall,
sheepishly. Gobber glares at him.
GOBBER (CONT'D)
(glaring at Hiccup)
Where did Hiccup go wrong?
He tries to take a seat at the table...
RUFFNUT
He showed up.
"mean"
TUFFNUT
He didn't get eaten.
... but the recruits keep closing the gaps. Rolling his eyes,
Hiccup sits at the vacant table next to them.
"rude"
ASTRID
He's never where he should be.
"ouch"
GOBBER
Thank you, Astrid.
Gobber stands.
"well I feel loved" Hiccup rolled his eyes
GOBBER (CONT'D)
You need to live and breathe this
stuff.
Gobber lays a giant book in the center of the table.
GOBBER (CONT'D)
The dragon manual. Everything we
know about every dragon we know of.
A RUMBLE of thunder shakes the hall. Rain pours down outside.
GOBBER (CONT'D)
No attacks tonight. Study up.
Gobber EXITS into the storm, leaving the teens staring at the
book.
TUFFNUT
(you've got to be kidding)
Wait, you mean read?
RUFFNUT
While we're still alive?
"oh for the love of Thor…"
"Hiccup, if you don't shut up right now I swear you will regret it" Astrid warned him
SNOTLOUT
Why read words when you can just
kill the stuff the words tell you
stuff about?
FISHLEGS
Oh! I've read it like, seven times.
There's this water dragon that
sprays boiling water at your face.
And there's this other one that
buries itself for like a week...
The teens stare as Fishlegs goes on too long.
TUFFNUT
Yeah, that sounds great. There was
a chance I was going to read
that...
RUFFNUT
...but now...
Snotlout gets up to go.
SNOTLOUT
You guys read, I'll go kill stuff.
The others follow, with Fishlegs in tow.
FISHLEGS
Oh and there's this other one that
has these spines that look like
trees...
Astrid is the last to go.
HICCUP
So I guess we'll share-
ASTRID
Read it.
She pushes it toward him and leaves.
HICCUP
All mine then. Wow, so okay. I'll
SEE YOU-
Slam.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Tomorrow.
"I can realte to this so much" Yay muttered, Hiccup looked at the girl, staring at her with wide us
"what?" she asked, oblivious of the fact that he had heard her.
SIGH.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. GREAT HALL - LATE NIGHT
ON HICCUP'S HAND
OPENING the massive book. Thunder BOOMS outside. The hall is
vacant and dark, but for the few candles he's pulled together.
Hiccup pours through page after page of strange and
frightening dragons.
HICCUP (V.O.)
Dragon classifications. Strike
class. Fear class. Mystery class.
Hiccup turns the page.
HICCUP (V.O.) (CONT'D)
Thunderdrum. This reclusive dragon
inhabits sea caves and dark tide
pools.
(MORE)
HICCUP (V.O.) (CONT'D)
When startled, the Thunderdrum
produces a concussive sound that
can kill a man at close range.
"awsome" could be heard from the twins
Extremely dangerous. Kill on sight.
Hiccup's eyes drift to a lurid illustration of decapitated
Vikings. Another page, another dragon.
HICCUP (V.O.) (CONT'D)
Timberjack. This gigantic creature
has razor sharp wings that can
slice through full grown
trees...extremely dangerous. Kill
on sight.
The illustrations seem to take on a life of their own,
shifting and squirming in the candlelight.
HICCUP (V.O.) (CONT'D)
Scauldron. Sprays scalding water at
its victim. Extremely dangerous.
The storm outside rages against the shuttered windows. Hiccup
is startled, but presses on.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Changewing. Even newly hatched
dragons can spray acid.
"so awsome"
Kill on
sight.
He begins flipping through the pages. A blur of dragons...
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Gronckle. Zippleback. The Skrill.
Bone Knapper. Whispering Death.
Burns its victims. Buries its
victims. Chokes its victims. Turns
its victims inside-out.
Extremely dangerous. Extremely
dangerous. Kill on sight. Kill on
sight. Kill on sight...
Hiccup finally lands upon the page he's been looking for.
"AWSOME"
"SHUT UP" Everyone shouted at the twins
HICCUP (V.O.) (CONT'D)
Night Fury.
It's BLANK - no image, save for a few, sparse details.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Speed unknown. Size unknown. The
unholy offspring of lightning and
death itself.
"more like the unholy offspring of cuteness and lazyness itself" Yay muttered and in response, toothless whacked her on the head with his tail. Hiccup laughed but his happines was short lived when Toothless whacked him too
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Never engage this dragon. Your only
chance, hide and pray it does not
find you.
Hiccup pulls his sketchbook out of his vest and opens it to
his drawing of Toothless. He lays it over the book's blank
page and considers it.
CLOSE ON the drawing of Toothless...
MATCH CUT TO:
EXT. HIGH SEAS - DAWN
A painted DRAGON, with a sword run through it. It's the
billowing sail of Stoick's ship.
Stoick hovers over the familiar nautical map - his eyes on
the uncharted corner, swirling in mist and illustrations of
dragons.
STOICK
I can almost smell them. They're
close. Steady.
Stoick raises his gaze to...
AN EPIC FOG BANK, towering from sky to sea like a bruised,
daunting curtain, beyond which nothing is visible. The three
ships drift alongside it, skirting its solid edge, looking
for an opening.
ON DECK the crewmen mill nervously, all too aware of what
Stoick is considering.
STOICK (CONT'D)
Take us in.
The helmsman steers Stoick's ship into the fog. The men draw
their weapons, prepping for the worst.
VIKING
Hard to port... for Helheim's gate.
The first ship disappears into the whiteout, followed by the
other two.
A BEAT
Suddenly a flash of light. A silhouette of a dragon. Hollers.
Sounds of splitting and shattering wood. Plunges into the
water. Another bright flash.
MATCH CUT TO:
EXT. TRAINING GROUNDS - RING - DAY
CLOSE ON a DRAGON painted onto a shield. Hiccup runs his
finger over its outline.
HICCUP
You know, I just happened to notice
the book had nothing on Night
Furies. Is there another book? Or a
sequel? Maybe a little Night Fury
pamphlet?
KABLAM! A blast takes the axe head off of Hiccup's hilt,
leaving a smoking hole behind him. Hiccup YELPS and RUNS.
GOBBER (O.S.)
FOCUS Hiccup! You're not even
trying.
CUT BACK to reveal a Deadly Nadder, loose in a maze-like
arrangement of moveable walls. Gobber calls orders from
above.
"she's my favourite dragon" Yay said dreamly
Toothless grumbled
"except for you of course" she scratched him behind the ear
GOBBER (CONT'D)
Today... is all about attack.
The Nadder hops from wall to wall, sending the recruits
scurrying.
GOBBER (CONT'D)
Nadders are quick and light on
their feet. Your job is to be
quicker and lighter.
The teens move in, stumbling over Hiccup and his unwieldy
shield. The Nadder spots Fishlegs' ample rear hiding behind a wall. It whips its tail of spikes. Fishlegs SCREAMS and lifts
an entire wall to shield himself from the spray.
FISHLEGS
I'm really beginning to question
your teaching methods.
"I've been questioning them for a long time" Hiccup said
"hey!"
GOBBER
Look for its blind spot. Every
dragon has one. Find it, hide in
it, and strike.
Ruff and Tuff rush in, diving and rolling up to the Nadder's
nose. The Nadder sniffs the air - it can't see them. Tuff
and Ruff are smashed together - too close for comfort.
RUFFNUT
(WHISPERED)
Do you ever bathe?
"do you?" yay asked
TUFFNUT
If you don't like it, then just get
your own blind spot.
RUFFNUT
How about I give you one!
Ruff and Tuff SHOVE each other, till their movement and noise
gives them away. The Nadder ATTACKS, SNAPPING at both of
them.
GOBBER
Blind spot? Yes. Deaf spot? Not so
much.
Hiccup wanders up to Gobber, while the others dart past.
HICCUP
Hey, so how would one sneak up on a
Night Fury?
GOBBER
None one's ever met one and lived
to tell the tale. Now get in there.
HICCUP
I know, I know, but
hypothetically...
ASTRID
(WHISPERED)
Hiccup!
She puts her finger to her lips and gestures for him to hide.
A moment later, the Nadder leaps over the walls, surprising
them by landing in front of her.
Astrid somersaults into its blind spot, confusing it. She
rears back to strike - just as Snotlout LEAPS IN,
protectively SWEEPING Astrid behind him.
SNOTLOUT
Watch out babe. I'll take care of
this.
ASTRID
Hey!
Snotlout MISSES. Astrid glares at him.
Everyone rolled their eyes
"the sun was in my eyes" he said
"it was cloudy" yay says and everyone laughes
SNOTLOUT
(DEFENSIVE)
The sun was in my eyes, Astrid.
What do you want me to do, block
out the sun? I could do that, but I
don't have time right now!
The Nadder tears off after her, knocking down walls in
pursuit. She leaps and dives like a highly trained gymnast.
Hiccup wanders up to Gobber again.
HICCUP
They probably take the daytime off.
You know, like a cat. Has anyone
ever seen one napping?
GOBBER
Hiccup!
ASTRID
-Hiccup!
Hiccup spins around to see the maze walls collapsing like
dominos toward him. Astrid comes flying through the dust and
crash-lands on top of him, laying him out in a limb-tangled
mess.
TUFFNUT
Oooh! Love on the battlefield!
RUFFNUT
She could do better.
"hey!"
"shush I'm trying to watch a movie here" Ruff said
The Nadder closes in, emerging through the cloud of dust.
HICCUP
(struggling to untangle)
Just... let me... why don't you...
The Nadder spins around and races back toward them like a
Raptor.
Astrid untangles herself and tries to pull her axe from
Hiccup's shield... which is attached to his limp, gangly arm.
She PLANTS her foot on his torso and YANKS the axe free,
still burrowed into the shield.
She SPINS and SWINGS the axe and shield, scoring a DIRECT HIT
on the oncoming Nadder's NOSE. It yelps and scurries off.
"poor Stormfly" Yay shouts and everyone looks at her with questioning looks
"oops, spoiler, sorry"
GOBBER
Well done, Astrid.
Gobber hobbles off to wrestle the Nadder back into his cave.
Hiccup gets to his feet - all eyes are upon him. He turns to
find Astrid glaring at him, winded.
ASTRID
Is this some kind of a joke to you?
Our parents' war is about to become
ours. Figure out which side you're
on.
She grabs her axe and stomps off. Hiccup watches, stung.
CUT TO:
EXT. COVE - MAGIC HOUR
CLOSE ON
A fish...
"I love this part" Yay smiled
"I don't" Hiccup said knowing exactly what was going to happen"
being thrown into the cove. It hits the ground and
slides. A moment later, Hiccup peeks through a gap in the
rock, looking around cautiously. Nothing.
Hiccup squeezes through and enters the cove.
A BEAT, then Hiccup hears a SNORT from behind him.
Hiccup turns to see the Night Fury, crouched on a rock like a
stealthy panther. It descends, approaching him... ready to
pounce.
Hiccup swallows his fear and offers the fish. Doing so
reveals the dagger at his waist. The dragon sees it and
hisses. Hiccup reaches for it, eliciting a growl. He pauses,
carefully lifts it by the handle, and tosses it away. The
dragon calms.
As it approaches the fish, Hiccup notices that it's missing
teeth.
HICCUP
Huh. Toothless. I could've sworn
you had...
A set of razor sharp teeth emerge from its gums to grab the
fish. Toothless snatches and gnashes it up, swallowing it.
everybody jumps
HICCUP (CONT'D)
... teeth.
The teeth retract again.
Toothless presses closer with an expectant look. Hiccup
retreats nervously.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Uh, no. No, I don't have any more.
The Fury backs Hiccup against a rock, placing himself the
same position as before. The dragon closes in over him,
staring blankly.
A tense moment passes... then Toothless regurgitates a chunk
of fish onto Hiccup's lap. They exchange stares. Hiccup
realizes what Toothless wants him to do.
Hiccup crouches slowly and squeamishly picks it up.
The dragon waits expectantly. Hiccup gags and gnaws off a
bite of the slimy fish. He forces a smile. Toothless mimics
him.
Amazed, Hiccup sits up and tries to touch him. Toothless
HISSES and flaps off to a crash on the other side of the
cove. He BLASTS the mossy ground to a red-hot temperature...
and curls up on it like a giant dog.
He turns to find Hiccup seated beside him. Toothless
tolerates his persistent presence... until Hiccup tries to
touch his damaged tail. Toothless SNAPS at him. Hiccup takes
the hint and leaves.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. COVE - LATER
It's MAGIC HOUR. Toothless wakes, hanging upside down from a tree. He spots Hiccup sitting on the other side of the cove.
Sketching in the sand.
CLOSE ON a sketch of Toothless. Hiccup draws with a stick,
minding his own business. Toothless appears behind him,
watching carefully. Aware of his presence, Hiccup continues,
trying not to scare him off.
Toothless walks off. A moment later, he reappears with an
entire sapling, drawing lines in the sand. He rushes here and there, making haphazard lines in every direction.
Finally, Toothless drops the tree and inspects his work. He
seems pleased.
"hey look! It's hiccup!" yay shouts
"how can you see my face in that drawing?"
"I recognise art" Toothless roared in agreement
Hiccup stands and takes in the sprawling scribble, amazed by it. He accidentally steps onto one of the lines, eliciting an instant growl from Toothless. He steps on it again. Toothless growls again. Realizing how sensitive he is, Hiccup steps carefully between each line, turning round and round until he unwittingly bumps into Toothless.
Toothless snorts. Once again, they're face to face. Hiccup
slowly extends his hand. Toothless hesitates. Hiccup turns
his head away and closes his eyes. To his amazement,
Toothless bridges the gap and presses his muzzle against
Hiccup's hand.
In a flash, the dragon is gone, leaving Hiccup astounded.
Everyone looked at Hiccup
"what?"
EXT. VILLAGE - NIGHT
Gobber and the recruits are seated at the top of an abandoned
catapult tower, toasting campfire food around a roaring
bonfire.
GOBBER
...and with one twist he took my
hand and swallowed it whole. And I
saw the look on his face.
(can't deny it)
I was delicious.
"eww"
He must have
passed the word, because it wasn't
a month before another one of them
took my leg.
FISHLEGS
Isn't it weird to think that your
hand was inside a dragon. Like if
your mind was still in control of
it you could have killed the dragon
from the inside by crushing his
heart or something.
SNOTLOUT
I swear I'm so angry right now.
I'll avenge your beautiful hand and
your beautiful foot. I'll chop off
the legs of every dragon I fight,
with my face.
He postures to Astrid. She rolls her eyes.
GOBBER
(with a mouthful)
Un-unh. It's the wings and the
tails you really want. If it can't
fly, it can't get away. A downed
dragon is a dead dragon.
"but toothless can't die!" a vicking suddenly shouted
"he's a night fury!" another one says. Everyone started yelling and Yay shouted "EVERYONE CALM DOWN OR I'LL HAVE TOOTHLESS SIT ON EVERYONE!" this got everyone silence immediatly.