EXT. DOCKS - DAWN

A lone, battered ship is pulled into a slip, overloaded with equally battered-looking men.

"And this is why we don't hunt dragons." Hiccup says, sounding like a mother warning her child.

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.

Despite themselves, the Teens laughed.

Stoick lumbers past Gobber, leaving him staring at the trashed ship.

GOBBER Well, I trust you found the nest at least?

"Yes Gobber, that is why they are so downtrodden." Hiccup deadpans.

STOICK Not even close.

GOBBER Ah. Excellent.

"Excellent? A way with words you have Gobber!" Hiccup laughs.

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.

"Okay now it sounds like I've died." Laughs Hiccup. Nobody else does- thats not a laughing matter.

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!

"Hey guess what- Hiccup died! We're throwing a party!" hiccup says.

Stoick is stunned, overwhelmed by the insensitivity. He turns to Gobber.

STOICK He's... gone?

GOBBER Yeah...most afternoons.

"Seriously?! You gave me a heart attack!" Stoick exclaims to Gobber, who blushed.

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.

Hiccup grumbled something under his breath that make many eyebrow shoot up- Hiccup had a higher swear range than Gobber!

Stoick is doubly confused.

STOICK Hiccup?

"No you're other son." Hiccup says.

GOBBER (BEAMING) Who would've thought, eh? He has this...way with the beasts.

"Yes I have a way with the DRAGONS." hiccup says forcefully.

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.

The Vikings gaped at the scene before them- there they were a Viking and Dragon in the skies- together!

HICCUP Okay there bud, we're gonna take this nice and slow.

"Yeah its not really our forte but we needed to get it right."

Hiccup checks a leather cheat sheet, clipped onto his harness. Inscribed upon it are several tail positions and their pedal position equivalents.

HICCU Here we go. Here we go...position three, no four.

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!

The triumph is short-lived. They smack into one of several sea stacks as Hiccup tries to keep up with the turns.

The vikings chuckle as Hiccup looks abashed.

HICCUP (CONT'D) Sorry.

They hurtle into another rock pillar. Toothless grumbles.

HICCUP (CONT'D) My fault.

Toothless swats him with his 'ear' plate.

"Thanks for that bud." And a hit to the head with a tail fin.

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!

"The wind in your chest sheet?" Asks Gobber as Hiccup glares at him.

Hiccup grabs frantically for the airborne sheet...

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.

"We can do it now- but before it was a issue." Hiccup shrugs while some vikings pale at the thought of him free falling- so much could go wrong!

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

"Every time I try to help..." Mutters Hiccup.

. 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, making it impossible. With no time to think, Hiccup throws it away and steers Toothless' tail on instinct... with perfect intuition.

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- everyone gapes at the two- their perfect synchronised movements and the rush of a possible death all on Dragon Back! Words could not describe their amazement.

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.

Cue laughter While a monstrous Nightmare seems to reprimand Toothless.

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.

HICCUP Uh..no thanks. (gesturing to his fish on A STICK) I'm good.

"You got away easily." Chuckles Gobber.

Several Terrible Terrors land like seagulls, hissing and nipping at each other as they approach Toothless' pile of fish.

Said group of Terrors approach Hiccup and Toothless and curl up around him. Hiccup stokes the nearest two, who purr in gratitude.

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 watches, amused.

"While Toothless just sit there like a sour puss." Hiccup laughs at the now pouting Nightfury.

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.

Hiccup laughs "Meanie." He jokes.

Irate, the little dragon paws at the ground and blast Toothless.

"That is not a good idea." Comments Hiccup while one of the Terrors grumbled unhappily as if to say 'no kidding'.

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.

HICCUP (CONT'D) Not so fireproof on the inside, are you?

"Why do I get the feeling this is going t. Br a important part to the plot?" Asks Gobber.

"Because it will." Hiccup guesses.

Hiccup throws the hapless Terror his freshly cooked fish.

HICCUP (CONT'D) Here you go.

"See at least I can share!" Hiccup says with a smug smile to Toothless.

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.

The hall is left in silence as the next scene begins.