EXT. DOCKS - DAWN
A lone, battered ship is pulled into a slip, overloaded with equally battered-looking men. They disembark to a crowd of onlookers, looking like a team of hometown heroes who just had their butts kicked.
Gobber hobbles through the MUMBLING crowd to find Stoick -
last to disembark and glowering with battered pride.
VIKING
Where are the other ships?
SPITELOUT
You don't want to know.
Stoick lumbers past Gobber, leaving him staring at the
trashed ship.
GOBBER
Well, I trust you found the nest at
least?
STOICK
Not even close.
GOBBER
Ah. Excellent.
Gobber follows Stoick up the ramp and snags his duffle bag
with his hook appendage, sharing the burden.
STOICK
I hope you had a little more
success than me.
GOBBER
Well, if by success, you mean that
your parenting troubles are over
with, then... yes.
Stoick stops. What does that mean?
A group of merry villagers rush past.
VIKING #1
Congratulations Stoick! Everyone is
so relieved.
VIKING #2
Out with the old and in with the
new, right?!
VIKING #3
No one will miss that old nuisance!
VIKING #4
The village is throwing a party to
celebrate!
Stoick is stunned, overwhelmed by the insensitivity. He turns
to Gobber.
"Gobber" Hiccup said, surprisingly calm
"yes?"
"you make it sound like I was dead"
Astrid started laughing
STOICK
He's... gone?
"you don't sound sad" Hiccup said, letting his sadness show in his words. No one said a thing. Yay looked at Hiccup with sad eyes, knowing how hard it was to live with a single parent.
GOBBER
Yeah...most afternoons. But who can
blame him? I mean the life of a
celebrity is very rough. He can
barely walk through the village
without being swarmed by his new
fans.
Stoick is doubly confused.
STOICK
Hiccup?
"you don't believe him do you?" Hiccup asked, Stoick was going to say something but Yay shot him a look. It was like she could speak in his mind. Not yet she seemed to say.
GOBBER
(BEAMING)
Who would've thought, eh? He has
this...way with the beasts.
"you have no idea" Hiccup said, trying to make everyone forget what he had said. For some, it worked.
CUT TO:
EXT. SKY - AFTERNOON
Toothless and Hiccup soar through a perfect blue sky.
Billowing clouds rise like mountains. The ground seems miles
below them.
HICCUP
Okay there bud, we're gonna take
this nice and slow.
Hiccup checks a leather cheat sheet, clipped onto his
harness. Inscribed upon it are several tail positions and
their pedal position equivalents.
"oh no" hiccup whispered as he suddenly remembered that scene.
"oh yes" Yay grinned
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Here we go. Here we go...position
three, no four.
"what does that mean?" Snoutlout asked
"it's the position that the pedal needs to be in to dive" Yay responded. Hiccup looked at her in shock
"you know how to control the tailfin?" she blushed
"I've been watching you guys for a long time"
"huh" Hiccup wandered what was Yay hiding.
He presses the pedal, causing the tail to flare. They roll
off into an arcing bank, gloriously lit by the late afternoon sun.
Hiccup tucks tight against his neck, thrilled that his new
harness and vest are holding. The foot controls make the tail appendage quick and responsive. He watches Toothless' every fluctuation, trying to match it with the prosthetic.
Hiccup sizes up a target - a towering arch of stone, rising
from the sea.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Alright, it's go time. It's go
time.
They dive toward it, lining up to pass through the arch.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Come on. Come on buddy. Come on
buddy!
They zip through the arch. A perfect maneuver.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Yeah! Yes, it worked!
"how is that even posible?" Fishlegs asked Hiccup
Hiccup started to explained Fishlegs how the tail worked, but no one understood a thing except for Yay and Gobber.
"Amazing" Fishlegs gasped
"will you two dorks quit it?" Astrid hissed. Both boys shut up. Snoutlout laughed
"good one babe" he said, placing an arma round Astrid's waist. She punched him so hard, he fell to the ground. Ruff high-fived him.
The triumph is short-lived. They smack into one of several
sea stacks as Hiccup tries to keep up with the turns.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Sorry.
They hurtle into another rock pillar. Toothless grumbles.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
My fault.
Toothless swats him with his 'ear' plate.
Little kids laughed. One of them started touching Toothless ear and the dragon purred
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Yeah, yeah, I'm on it.
(referring to the cheat SHEET)
Position four, no three.
They pierce the clouds. For the first time, Hiccup can see
the whole of the island below them. It shrinks with every
passing second. He SWALLOWS hard and tightens his grip on the handles.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Yeah! Go baby! Yes! Oh, this is
amazing! The wind in my...
He spots the leather guide tearing free in the turbulence.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
(PANICKED)
... CHEAT SHEET! STOP!
Hiccup grabs frantically for the airborne sheet...
"the wind in your cheat sheet?" Tuffnut asked, oblivious to the scene.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
No!
... and NABS IT before it's carried out of reach. Toothless,
however, obeys the command and suddenly STOPS beating his
wings.
As they slow to a stop, Hiccup goes weightless. The rings of his vest float off of the harness hooks. Hiccup suddenly
finds himself detached, free-falling.
"HICCUP" Everyone shouts and Hiccup smiles
Astrid was pale, her eyes fixed on the screen. She grips Hiccup's hand tightly, as if she was reasurring herself that he was still there. Hiccup was red as a tomato and Yay couldn't help but giggle.
(HEY, I AHD TO WRITE SOME HICCSTRID, DON'T JUDGE)
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Oh gods! Oh no!
Without Hiccup, the tail loses control. Hiccup and Toothless spiral downward. Toothless FIGHTS to get back under Hiccup.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
(trying to calm Toothless)
Alright, okay. You just gotta kinda
angle yourself. No, no...come back
down towards me. Come back down-
Hiccup extends his arms and legs, giving himself as much
surface area as he can. He angles back towards Toothless as
the tumbling dragon WHACKS Hiccup with his wing.
After a few more misses, Hiccup finally GRABS HOLD of the
harness and manages to lock in - just in time to pull
Toothless out of his dive... barely shy of the tree tops.
They careen past the wooded cliff and directly into a
treacherous slalom course of jutting sea stacks.
Hiccup pulls the cheat sheet from his teeth and attempts to
check positions. It flaps violently in the turbulence, makingit impossible.
With no time to think, Hiccup throws it away and steers
Toothless' tail on instinct... with perfect intuition.
"woah" the twins said
"amazing" Snoutlout said
"cool" Astrid simply says
"how are you doing that?" fishlegs asks
"intuition?" Hiccup replies, trying to sink into his seat
Together, they manage a tight, hair-rasing series of split-
second turns, making it to the open water, unscathed.
Hiccup takes a breath and glances back at the death-defying
obstacle course, now safely behind them. He beams, relieved.
He sits back and throws his arms up in victory.
Everyone looks at Hiccup, a shocked expression on their faces. He shrinks into his seat even more, trying (and failing) not to blush
HICCUP (CONT'D)
YEEAHHH!
Toothless concurs with a happy SQUEAL and a fireball.
Hiccup's glee turn to dread as they fly directly into it.
ON HICCUP'S FACE
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Ah, come on.
EXT. BLACK SAND BEACH - SUNSET
Hiccup and Toothless lounge on a sprawling, deserted beach,
snacking of freshly caught fish. As Hiccup cooks his over a
fire, Toothless suddenly regurgitates a fish head. Hiccup
smirks with forced politeness.
"ewww" the teens make disgusted faces
"if you eat it, I swear I'll puke" Snoutlout tells his cousin
HICCUP
Uh..no thanks.
(gesturing to his fish on A STICK)
I'm good.
The teens sigh in relief
Several Terrible Terrors land like seagulls, hissing and
nipping at each other as they approach Toothless' pile of
fish.
One grabs the regurgitated fish head and drags it away.
Another attempts to steal it from him. They face off and last
fire balls at each other to settle the fight. Hiccup and
Toothless watch, amused. That is until...
Toothless spots one of his fish leaving the pile. A stealthy Terrible Terror is exposed as the thief. They tug on the fish, and it snaps back into Toothless' mouth. He swallows it back tauntingly.
"watch this next part, it's important" Yay warns
Irate, the little dragon paws at the ground and blast
Toothless. He opens his mouth, the gas hiss comes, and
Toothless fires a tiny flame straight into its mouth, causing the gas to backfire into the little dragon. It coughs up smoke and staggers away, looking ill.
Hiccup laughs.
"what's so important about a Little Terror?" Snoutlout asked
"you'll see"
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Not so fireproof on the inside, are
you?
Hiccup throws the hapless Terror his freshly cooked fish.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Here you go.
The appreciative little dragon gulps down the meal and
approaches Hiccup cautiously. He curls up next to him. Hiccup is amazed.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
(PENSIVE)
Everything we know about you guys
is wrong.
Everyone frowns, thinking about this.
Hiccup carefully pets him... sending the Terror into an
immediate, blissful sleep.
INT. BLACKSMITH STALL - HICCUP'S CLOSET - NIGHT
HICCUP is lost in thought, his head laid of a desk full of
Toothless drawings. Burdened with the weight of the world.
Suddenly, STOICK appears in the doorway. Hiccup jumps and
quickly covers up his desk.
HICCUP
Dad! You're back!
He skirts the bench, blocking Stoick's view of Toothless, the prosthetic fin, and other drawings.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Gobber's not here, so...
He strikes an awkwardly casual pose, trying to cover up as
much as possible.
"you're dead meat little cousin" Snoutlout said
"I'm older than you"
STOICK
I know. I came looking for you.
The boy whistled "yep you're dead"
"will you please just watch the movie?"
HICCUP
(CAUGHT)
You did?
STOICK
(STERN)
You've been keeping secrets.
Hiccup's legs give out. He slides, dragging the table's
contents with him.
HICCUP
I...have?
STOICK
Just how long did you think you
could hide it from me?
"he knows?" Ruff asks Hiccup
"look closely"
HICCUP
(IN VAIN)
I don't know what you're...
STOICK
Nothing happens on this island
without me hearing about it.
"apparently not" Hiccup muttered
HICCUP
Oh?
STOICK
So.
(BEAT)
Let's talk about that dragon.
Blood drains from Hiccup's face.
Everyone gasps. Stoick's face goes red. How couldn't he have noticed? Was he really that blind.
HICCUP
Oh gods. Dad I'm so sorry. I was
going to tell you. I just didn't
know how to-
Stoick starts laughing. Big, booming. Hiccup stares, baffled.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
You're not...upset?
STOICK
What?! I was hoping for this!
HICCUP
Uh...you were?
Everyone looked at Stoick confused
STOICK
And believe me, it only gets
better! Just wait til you spill a
Nadder's guts for the first time.
Hiccup's elated expression sinks.
STOICK (CONT'D)
And mount your first Gronckle head on a spear.
Yay makes a face
What a feeling!
"must be super" she mutters
Stoick laughs and smacks Hiccup on the shoulder, sending him into the wall.
STOICK (CONT'D)
You really had me going there, son.
All those years of the worst Viking
Berk has ever seen! Odin, it was
rough. I almost gave up on you!
Hiccup gets back up, grimacing in the irony of it all.
STOICK (CONT'D)
And all the while, you were holding
out on me! Thor almighty!
Stoick grabs a stool and sits. His massive frame nearly fills the tiny room.
STOICK (CONT'D)
(RELIEVED)
Ahhhhh. With you doing so well in the ring, we finally have something to talk about.
Pregnant pause.
"Akward" Tuffnut sings
Hiccup averts his eyes nervously. Stoick
adjusts, awkwardly clearing his throat.
After a long, uncomfortable silence...
STOICK (CONT'D)
Oh, I... brought you something.
He presents a horned helmet.
STOICK (CONT'D)
To keep you safe in the ring.
HICCUP
(SINCERE)
Wow. Thanks.
Hiccup accepts it, looking it over.
STOICK
Your mother would've wanted you to
have it.
(HEARTFELT)
It's half of her breast plate.
Stoick taps his own helmet and smiles.
STOICK (CONT'D)
Matching set. Keeps her close, y'know?
Hiccup eyes the mismatched helmets, grimacing.
Yay held up his hands "I'm not going to ask"
STOICK (CONT'D)
Wear it proudly. You deserve it.
You've held up your end of the deal.
Stoick beams with pride. Hiccup squirms. He forces a YAWN.
HICCUP
I should really get to bed.
STOICK HICCUP
(talking over each OTHER)
Yes! Good! Okay. Good talk. See you back at the house.
We should do this again. I'm Great. Thanks for stopping
glad I stopped by, I hope you by. And for the... the uh,
like the hat. breast hat.
STOICK
Well..uh..good night.
Stoick leaves the room awkwardly, leaving Hiccup looking more burdened than ever.
"wow, you guys are worse than my dad and I" Yay said, she immediately relised what she just said.
"what?" Hiccup asked, confused
"nothing"
