EXT. TRAINING GROUNDS - AFTERNOON
A Gronckle hovers above the ring, hunting victims as the teen recruits scramble. Asteun ducks behind a barrier to find Hicca already there. He forces his axe at her throat.
ASTEUN Stay out of my way! I'm winning this thing.
HICCA Please, by all means.
"And I thought you were teasing me."
He darts off, CLOSING FAST on the dragon. The crowd above cheers him on.
VIKING IN CROWD You got it Asteun!
Hicca stands and looks around. Amidst the crowd of onlookers, Stoick watches keenly, beaming with pride. He locks eyes with Hicca, giving her a nod of encouragement. Hicca adjusts her new helmet and forces a half-hearted smile. Unbeknownst to Hicca, the Gronckle spots her and makes a bee- line toward her.
BACK TO ASTEUN
... as he catches his breath behind a barrier. He scowls, focused, determined.
ASTEUN That's it. This time. This time for sure.
With a FIERCE BATTLE-CRY he LEAPS from cover, axe cocked to throw.
ASTEUN (CONT'D) Aaaaaaaaaa...
And as he clears the barriers, he sees that Hicca has already laid the Gronckle out.
ASTEUN (CONT'D) ...aaaaaaauGGGGGHHHHHHHH! No! No! Oh, come on!
Hicca shrugs, as unhappy with the situation as he is.
ASTEUN (CONT'D) NO! NO! SON OF HALFTROLL RAT EATING MUNGE BUCKET!
"Where did you learn to talk like that mister?" scolds Asteun his mother
A loud CLACK ring out. From the crowd above, Gothi, the village elder, steps forward, tapping her staff. Everyone lights up excitedly.
STOICK Wait! Wait!
HICCA Sooo, later.
Gobber snags Hicca as she attempts to leave.
GOBBER Not so fast.
HICCA Um, I'm kinda late for-
ASTEUN (LIVID) What? Late for what exactly?
Stoick holds out his hands to silence the jabbering crowd.
STOICK Okay quiet down. The elder has decided.
Thrilled, Gobber stands behind Hicca and Asteun. He points to Asteun as the crowd waits in silent anticipation. Gothi shakes her head 'no.' The crowd 'Oooohs.' Gobber then points to Hicca. The elder nods an affirmative 'yes.' The crowd erupts in cheers. Asteun turns a seething, deadly glare on Hicca.
GOBBER You've done it! You've done it, Hicca! You get to kill the dragon!
"Yay!" yells Hicca sarcasticly.
STOICK Ha, ha! That's my girl!
Hicca is hoisted onto the recruits' shoulders and carried out to the cheering spectators...
HICCA (MASKING PANIC) Heh, heh. Oh yeah! Yes! I can't wait. I am so...
EXT. HIDDEN COVE - DUSK
HICCA ... leaving.
"Wait, what?" asks Gobber.
We're leaving.
"You were leaving?" he asks again.
She just nobs.
Come on, let's pack up. Looks like you and me are taking a little vacation, forever.
"Forever?"
And she nobs again.
Toothless is nowhere in sight. Hicca sets down her basket and opens it up, her head clouded with troubles.
HICCA (CONT'D) Oh..man...
SHINK! Hicca looks up to the sound of... ASTEUN, sitting on the rock right in front of her, sharpening his axe.
HICCA (CONT'D) (SHOCKED) Aggh! What the- (RECOMPOSING) What are you doing here?
He hops off the rock and back her down, spinning his axe threateningly. Hicca's eyes dart around nervously, searching for Toothless.
ASTEUN I want to know what's going on. No one just gets as good as you do. Especially you. Start talking! Are you training with someone?
HICCA Uh...training?
He grabs him by his odd-looking harness.
ASTEUN It better not involve... this.
"But you don't even know what that is" says Hicca.
"It looked... weird."
HICCA I know this looks pretty bad, but you see...this is, uh...
They hear a RUSTLE coming from the other side of the cove. Asteun DROPS Hicca to the ground and sets off to investigate.
HICCA (CONT'D) (PANICKED) You're right! You're right. I'm- I'm through with the lies. I've been making... outfits! You got me. It's time everyone knew. Drag me back. Go ahead. Here we go.
She puts his hand back on her harness, getting him to 'drag her back.' Asteun BENDS Hicca's hand backwards, driving him down.
Toothless growls.
"Yeah, um, sorry for that."
HICCA (CONT'D) AAAAUUGGGHHH! Why did you do that?!
ASTEUN That's for the lies.
Asteun pounces the hilt of his axe off of Hicca's laid-out body.
"And for that."
ASTEUN(CONT'D) And THAT'S for everything else.
Hicca's YELP is answered with A GROWL, coming from the other side of the cove. Asteun looks up to see... A NIGHT FURY. Toothless pounces toward them, snarling.
"Oh, boy."
HICCA (FEEBLE) Oh man.
He dives onto Hicca.
ASTEUN Get down! Run! Run!
Asteun pulls his axe, ready to take on Toothless.
HICCA No!
Hicca knocks Asteun's cocked axe to the ground, out of reach, then stops Toothless short of crushing him.
HICCA (CONT'D) No. It's okay! It's okay...
Toothless pulls up short and lands hard, SPRAYING Asteun with sand.
HICCA (CONT'D) (CALMING) He's a friend.
Toothless snorts in disagreement.
TOOTHLESS I don't think friends would hit you.
Asteun is frozen. Toothless looks from him to Hicca and back to him, confused.
HICCA (CONT'D) (TO ASTEUN) You just scared him.
ASTEUN I scared him!?
Hicca makes a be quiet motion.
ASTEUN (CONT'D) (INTENSE WHISPER) Who is him?
HICCA Umm, Asteun, Toothless. Toothless, Asteun.
TOOTHLESS You stay away from her or I'll bite off your head and use it to play.
"That's too violent, don't you think?" asks Zamble.
"Maybe. But I ment every word."
HICCA (THREATENLY)That's not necesary Toothless.
Asteun backs away, eyeing Hicca and Toothless together with pure disgust. He turns and RUNS for the village.
HICCA Da da da, we're dead.
TOOTHLESS That went well.
The whole hall laughs. That was anything than well.
Satisfied with Astrid's departure, Toothless turns away.
HICCA (CONT'D) (TO TOOTHLESS) No, it didn't! And where do you think you're going?
EXT. WOODS - MOMENTS LATER
ASTEUN races through the trees. A large shadow overtakes him. He is suddenly SNATCHED into the air. Asteun SCREAMS.
ASTEUN Oh great Odin's ghost, this is it!
Hicca and Toothless fly Asteun to the top of a towering pine. It bows and creaks under their weight as Asteun dangles a hundred feet in the air.
ASTEUN (CONT'D) Hicca! Get me down from here!
HICCA Not unless you give me a chance to explain.
ASTEUN I'm not listening to ANYTHING you have to say!
HICCA Alright then. Just let me show you.
Hicca extends a hand.
HICCA (CONT'D) Please, Asteun.
He eyes her and the dragon, then the ground far, far below.
"You don't really have a choice" said Kat.
After a moment, he swats Hicca's outstretched hand away and reluctantly climbs over the pedal, lines, and harness. He settles behind Hicca, avoiding as much contact as possible.
ASTEUN Now get me down.
HICCA Toothless? Down. Gently.
TOOTHLESS (TO HIMSELF) This will be good.
Toothless leers mischievously. He spreads his wings slowly. With a WHOP, they fill with the updraft. Toothless releases the tree, tucks in his legs, and HOVERS in place.
HICCA (CONT'D) See? Nothing to be afraid of.
"You shouldn't have said that" says Zamble.
"Every time someone says 'there's nothing to be afraid of' there's always something to be afraid of" expalined furter Kat.
Toothless suddenly LAUNCHES straight upward.
"See?"
Asteun SCREAMS. The acceleration is tremendous. Every downbeat bucks the saddle, heaving them into the sky, doubling their speed like a rocket. Asteun is thrown backward. He SCREAMS and hugs Hicca for dear life, squeezing the breath out of her.
HICCA(CONT'D) Toothless! What is wrong with you?! Bad dragon! (mortified; to Asteun) He's not usually like this. Oh no...
Toothless ROLLS and PLUMMETS toward the coastline far below. Asteun SCREAMS. Toothless rockets over the ocean waves, deliberately dipping them in the froth.
HICCA (CONT'D) Toothless, what are you doing?! We need him to like us!
Toothless rockets skyward and begins tumbling head over tail.
HICCA (CONT'D) And now for the spinning. Thank you for nothing you useless reptile!
TOOTHLESS If he doesn't say his sorry I won't stop!
HICCA He want's you to say you'r sorry!
ASTEUN For what?
TOOTHLESS (TO ASTEUN) For hitting her!
Asteun clamps his hand over his eyes.
ASTEUN Okay! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Just get me off of this thing.
TOOTHLESS Here we go. It wasn't so hard, now was it?
And the audience laugh.
Asteun is defeated, his aggressive energy gone. Satisfied, Toothless relents. They level off and head up into the clouds. Asteun opens his eyes again, and looks out over a world he'd never dreamed of. He reaches out and touches clouds, pierces columns ablaze in golden hues, and floats over a vast, alien sky- scape. His terror is replaced by wonder. He grins, despite himself.
The Vikings look at the screen with the same wonder filled face as the on-screen Asteun.
Toothless rises above a blanket of clouds...
DISSOLVE TO: EXT. SKY - NIGHT
...and levels off under a starry sky. They emerge from a blanket of clouds under the dancing Northern Lights, shimmering in ribbons across the vast sky. Below them, Berk's torches flicker in the inky darkness. The new perspective is breathtaking. Asteun tucks his arms into Hicca's vest, burying his chin into her shoulder. The moment is not lost on either of them. Hicca smiles nervously. Toothless climbs past Berk's tallest peaks and heads out over open water, leaving the village lights behind them.
ASTEUN Okay, I admit it. This is pretty cool. It's... amazing. (BEAT) He's amazing.
TOOTHLESS I know.
"You're really modest, you know that?" asks Hicca.
Asteun carefully reaches down and pats Toothless' side.
ASTEUN (CONT'D) So what now?
"Here goes the moment."
Hicca groans. It's a problem without an answer.
ASTEUN (CONT'D) Hicca, your final exam is tomorrow. You know you're going to have to kill... (WHISPERED) ... kill a dragon.
HICCA Please don't remind me.
A strange, unearthly din approaches. Toothless' ear plates suddenly stand on end. Panicked, he abruptly dives, dipping into cloud cover.
HICCA (CONT'D) Toothless! What's happening? What is it?
Toothless BARKS at her.
TOOTHLESS Q-quiet! Get down.
Suddenly, out of the dense cloud, a Monstrous Nightmare emerges.
HICCA (CONT'D) Get down!
Hicca and Asteun duck. The Nightmare calls out. A Zippleback appears to the other side of Toothless, boxing him in.
ASTEUN Hicca, what's going on?
"Yes, what's going on?" asks Gobber.
HICCA I don't know. (BEAT) Toothless. You've got to get us out of here, bud.
Toothless HISSES. Other dragons, previously invisible in the thick clouds, appear all around them. HUNDREDS of them, all carrying fish and game in their talons.
HICCA (CONT'D) (WHISPERED) It looks like they're hauling in their kill.
The Zippleback eyes them ravenously.
ASTEUN What does that make us?
The dragons BANK and dive in formation, plummeting through the thickening fog and weaving between towering, craggy sea stacks. They emerge at the base of a massive volcanic caldera, glowing with rivulets of lava. The flock of dragons fall into rank, funneling through a crack, and zipping through a winding tunnel. It gives way to a vast, steamy inner chamber, tiered with pocky shelves. Dragons of all breeds lay about, nested in hordes. The arriving dragons fly in, dropping the fish and game into a central pit, glowing red and shrouded in mist. Hicca is amazed.
HICCA What my dad wouldn't give to find this.
That's true.
Toothless peels away from the procession, landing on a small shadowy shelf to keep a low-profile. Hicca and Asteun peek around, taking in the busy hive of sorts. They watch as the food continues to be dropped into the pit.
HICCA (CONT'D) Well, it's satisfying to know that all of our food has been dumped down a hole.
"You can say that again" says Gobber.
ASTEUN They're not eating any of it.
Last to arrive is a dim-witted Gronckle. It hovers over the pit and regurgitates his paltry contribution - a pathetic little fish. As it falls into the steamy pit, a terrible ROAR rings out. The Gronckle tries to flee, but before it can, a gargantuan dragon head juts from the steamy pit and SNAPS it out of the air. Swallowing it back whole. Hicca and Asteun recoil, terrified.
"I'll need a new pair of undies" whispered Goober. And to be honest, every one in the room need a new pair of undies, even the Vikings who've even fought with that thing.
ASTEUN (CONT'D) What is that?
The monstrous beast SNIFFS the air, seemingly aware of them. It nears the ledge where Toothless is hiding... and ROARS. Several dragons take flight in fear.
HICCA Alright buddy, we gotta get out of here. NOW!
Toothless takes flight, barely evading the monster's snapping jaws. The behemoth dragon lunges for them, snatching a Zippleback out of the air instead. Toothless disappears into the winged exodus as thousands of dragons flee the caldera in fear.