Chapter 7:

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.

"You went back Hiccup!" Stoick shouted.

"Well where else do you go if you need answers, the chef?" Hiccup joked.

HICCUP

(MUTTERED)

So...why didn't you?

Many of the Vikings in the theater were asking the same thing.

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.

"Yes it was son." Stoick says to which Hiccup only rolls his eyes.

SUDDENLY, the NIGHT FURY blasts past him.

The Vikings in the theater instinctively duck down. Hiccup starts laughing and patting Toothless on the head.

"You gave me quite the scare there bud" Hiccup says, and leans into him. Toothless responds with a big lick on the side of his face, Hiccup just groans knowing that he can't stop 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.

"You can draw, Hiccup?" Fishlegs asks.

"Of course I can Fish, how else would I plan the designs for my inventions." Hiccup replies dryly.

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?

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.

"It didn't kill him." Stoick states open mouthed.

"No DUH Sherlock." A Monstrous Nightmare said facing Stoick.

I turn to Red. "You've been teaching them new words haven't you?"

"Maybe just a few" He looks sheepishly down.

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 somersault 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'.

"Hatchling, is that Snot-boy always such a suck up?" A Timberjack asks from the back.

"Yup." Hiccup replies. "He really really wants to date Astrid."

"But don't you want the same thing Hiccup?" Toothless asks, causing Hiccup to go scarlet, and yell "Toothless! Shut it."

"The Night Striker has a point hatchling." The Gronkle laying besides Hiccup says. "You both want the same mate. You'll probably end up fighting for her."

Snotlout shouts from his seat "Bring it cousin! I'll show Astrid why I'm the best!"

"Oh great. I'll be beaten into a pulp now." Hiccup dryly remarks.

"Now now Hatchling. Don't be so doubtful of your abilities." The Timberjack says, it's head sweeping down.

"Yes, you'll have a mate in no time, if we teach you how to fight." Toothless replied, a smirk crossing his face.

"Wait, what just happened?" Snotlout asked confused.

"The dragons will be teaching Hiccup how to fight so that he can beat your skinny behind, and win over Astrid." Fishlegs supplied, and watched with glee as a look of horror crossed Snotlout's face.

"Dude, you're basically screwed." Tuffnut says while happily clapping Snotlout on the shoulder.

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.

"But so did you guys." A Terror says to the group of Viking teens.

TUFFNUT

He didn't get eaten.

"But you all didn't get eaten either." One Zippleback head said, while the other added "Besides, humans taste terrible."

... but the recruits keep closing the gaps. Rolling his eyes, Hiccup sits at the vacant table next to them.

A green Nadder turns to the Vikings to glare. "That Viking hatchlings, was just rude." The Nadder said in a disapproving voice.

ASTRID

He's never where he should be.

That same Nadder turned to Astrid. "Wasn't that Snot-boy also not where he should be?"

GOBBER

Thank you, Astrid.

Gobber stands.

GOBBER (CONT'D)

You need to live and breathe this stuff.

Gobber lays a giant book in the center of the table.

"Gobber, I would prefer oxygen actually." Hiccup replies earning snickers from the dragons.

GOBBER (CONT'D)

The dragon manual. Everything we know about every dragon we know of.

The dragons perked up at this eager to find out how much knowledge the Vikings had of their kind.

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?

"No, Ruffnut. While we're dead." Hiccup comments sarcastically.

"Oh" was all Ruffnut said earning groans from all the theater.

SNOTLOUT

Why read words when you can just kill the stuff the words tell you stuff about?

"Are you two actually related?" Drago asks Hiccup, gesturing between Snotlout and him.

"Unfortunately yes." Hiccup answers letting out a huff.

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.

"Well that was very rude." A few Gronkles commented.

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. Extremely dangerous. Kill on sight.

"Well don't surprise us then." A Thunderdrum says glaring at the vikings.

"How would you like your nap disturbed?" Another asks.

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.

"We are only dangerous if you get in our way, which you do very often." A Timberjack says from the back earning a few laughs from the dragons.

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.

"Sorry, we thought you were cold, we didn't realize that it would kill you." a Scauldron says.

HICCUP (CONT'D)

Changewing. Even newly hatched dragons can spray acid. 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...

At this point all the dragons are growling at the Vikings.

"See this is why we don't get along." Hiccup says as he gets up and starts to calm the dragons down with some calm and quiet words, and gestures.

Hiccup finally lands upon the page he's been looking for.

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.

Toothless actually looks proud of that description.

"More like the offspring of a hyper cat and bat." Hiccup mumbles getting the dragons to laugh, and earning a tail slap from Toothless.

(MORE)

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.

"The book is only partially right, you have to find it, not the other way around" Hiccup says which earns him another tail smack to the side of his head from a grumbling Toothless.

CLOSE ON the drawing of Toothless...