A/N
Guess who's back?
Due to the emotional talk, the teens had last night they thought it would be a good idea to have a sleepover in Hiccup's room. It was a great idea, the only downside was being rudely awoken by Snotlout's shrill scream.
The first thing that happened after he woke them up was getting smacked in the face with a pillow courtesy of Ruffnut.
Astrid was about to murder Snotlout. "What the hell are you screaming about?!"
Unlike normal Snotlout didn't even seem to acknowledge the threat. He just kept pointing to the corner and stuttering. "N-n-n-night F-fury." Everyone turned to where he was pointing and screamed (not including Hiccup and Astrid of course).
If anything Astrid only got more annoyed at them while Hiccup was confused. How and when did Toothless even get here? "That's why you woke us up?! It's just Toothless for crying out loud!"
Astrid's statement shocked them even more that the dragon itself. Did she just call the most dangerous dragon ever Toothless? Astrid realized what she said and facepalmed. Hiccup hadn't told them about Toothless yet.
Hiccup sighed. Time to see if they would keep their promise. He walked over to Toothless and placed a hand on his snout. "Guys, this is Toothless."
"Hey." The Night Fury said in greeting. The teens almost forgot dragons could talk in this weird place.
Hiccup continued unaware of what his new friends were thinking. "He's the Night Fury I freed and well… we're friends now. Don't worry he's harmless." Toothless snorted at that last line. Harmless, yeah right.
"Let me get this straight." Tuffnut began. "You freed a Night Fury."
"The unholy offspring of lightning and death itself." Fishlegs meekly added making Toothless chuckle. So that's what they called him.
"Went back to find it after you freed him." Ruffnut said staring at him as if he was insane.
"And now you're friends with him?" Snotlout questioned in disbelief.
Hiccup and Toothless looked at each other and then back at the teens. "Yeah, we're friends." They answered simultaneously.
The twins broke out into wide grins at the news. "That is awesome!" They said in perfect sync like only twins could.
Hiccup and Astrid expected the twins to accept it very quickly. Legs and Snot on the other hand were a bit more hesitant.
Hiccup sighed. Looks like he'd have to convince them. Snotlout was ready to faint when Hiccup grabbed his hand and started dragging him towards Toothless who seemed amused at the hesitation coming from the two hatchlings.
"W-w-what are you doing?" Snotlout stuttered trembling slightly. How his cousin had completely no fear was beyond him.
"Do you trust me, Snotlout?" Hiccup asked him. Snotlout only nodded, he did promise to make it up to Hiccup for the past. Even if that meant becoming friends with a dragon.
"Then trust me when I say he won't hurt you." Hiccup said sincerely. "Hold out your hand like this and trust him." He said as he demonstrated what he did in the cove that day he gained Toothless' trust.
Snotlout did as asked and held out his hand. As soon as Toothless leaned in he let out a shocked laugh. Holy shit. He didn't get eaten or blasted to bits.
Hiccup repeated the same process with the twins and it went pretty smoothly. Fishlegs was still hesitant but being threatened with Astrid's axe gave him enough reason to go through with it.
Once everyone finally returned to the theater they were surprised to see the teens with Hiccup rather than where they sat before. What also puzzled them was that their seats disappeared and how they seemed to be leaning against air.
Luckily for Hiccup's group, Kamil made their section of the room darker on purpose so that Toothless could stay hidden.
The Wingmaiden and two Defenders Of The Wing members in the group were very pleased with this development. They were right about Hiccup after all. Throk and Mala weren't too happy about how they used the Night Fury as a seat, but the dragon was doing it willingly so they accepted it.
Heather had no problems with it. She had nothing against dragons and Toothless was friendly so why not. Astrid was pretty cool too.
INT. STOICK'S HOUSE – CONTINUOUS Hiccup enters to see… STOICK, seated on a thick slice of tree-trunk. He is slouched over the fire-pit, stirring the coals with his axe. Embers waft around his beard. Hiccup tries to sneak past, up the stairs to his room. Stoick seems none the wiser, when...
STOICK "Hiccup."
"Busted!" The twins cried out in unison. Hiccup was not amused, to say the least.
"That explains why he was telling me he didn't want to kill dragons. But then how did he get so good in dragon training?" Stoick thought to himself. He was still a bit bummed he couldn't talk to his son last night. "At least the other teens talked to him." He thought when he saw that Hiccup actually had a small smile on his face when talking with the other kids his age.
Viggo was still in deep thought about that Night Fury letting Hiccup live. He'll have to let time take its course and see what happens next. Well, not that it mattered. Even if Hiccup refused to kill dragons himself, he and his mind would still be a valuable asset.
HICCUP (caught) "Dad. Uh…"
Stoick stands, takes a deep breath.
HICCUP (CONT'D) "I, uh... I have to talk to you, Dad."
STOICK "I need to speak with you too, son."
Hiccup and Stoick STRAIGHTEN at the same moment.
HICCUP "I've decided I don't want to fight dragons." (beat) "What?"
STOICK "I think it's time you learn to fight dragons." (beat) "What?"
Everyone laughed at that. Like father like son, eh?
STOICK (CONT'D) "You go first."
HICCUP "No, you go first."
Hiccup facepalmed. "I should have gone first." He muttered to himself. The teens who overheard him were confused, just how bad could it have gone?
STOICK "Alright. You get your wish. Dragon training. You start in the morning."
Oh, so that's how he got into dragon training. "You should have gone first." The teens all stated.
He stared back at them, face blank and emotionless. "Thank you, I had no idea." Was his sarcastic response.
"You're welcome H." The twins said in unison completely missing the point.
HICCUP (scrambling) "Oh man, I should've gone first. Uh, 'cause I was thinking, you know we have a surplus of dragon-fighting Vikings, but do we have enough bread-making Vikings, or small home repair Vikings-"
"How did you mention every job except for blacksmith? The job that you already had for how long? 10 years?" Toothless asked his rider. Hiccup could only sputter out a response about how he was nervous while the teens laughed.
STOICK "-You'll need this."
Stoick hands Hiccup his axe. Hiccup avoids taking it.
No Hiccup did not seem like the axe type, Viggo thought to himself. "Perhaps a sword and shield? Bow and arrow? Or maybe one of those curved blades from 'the land of the rising sun' Johann sometimes talks about? They were called Katanas if he remembered correctly." He always did wonder if that's where queen Mala got her weapon from.
Dagur was thinking along the same lines Viggo was. His weapon of choice was a bit different though. "A shortsword and dagger. And lots of hidden daggers. At least a dozen. Laced with poison for added effect? Maybe."
HICCUP "I don't want to fight dragons."
"To think that just a few hours before this you wanted to kill a dragon so desperately." Atali said. Hiccup shrugged, if they were in his shoes they'd be the same. That encounter completely changed his life.
STOICK "Come on. Yes, you do."
HICCUP "Rephrase. Dad I can't kill dragons."
That was slightly disappointing. He could still train his little brother as an assassin though, Dagur reasoned.
STOICK "But you will kill dragons."
HICCUP "No, I'm really very extra sure that I won't."
"I think he just became the only human that I like." Stormfly said getting murmurs of agreement from the surrounding dragons.
STOICK "It's time Hiccup."
HICCUP "Can you not hear me?"
STOICK "This is serious son!"
Stoick forces the axe into Hiccup's hands. Its weight drags him down. He looks up to see Stoick under-lit with firelight.
STOICK (CONT'D) "When you carry this axe... you carry all of us with you. Which means you walk like us. You talk like us. You think like us. No more of… (gesturing nonspecifically at Hiccup)... this."
That was starting to get a bit annoying. "Does everyone just constantly tell you that?" Heather asked.
Hiccup thought for a moment. "Pretty much, yeah. Only dad and Gobber have ever outright said it but I know the rest of the village thinks the same." The vikings cringed. What he just said was spot on.
HICCUP "You just gestured to all of me."
STOICK "Deal?"
HICCUP "This conversation is feeling very one-sided."
"Is that how all your conversations with your dad go?" Fishlegs asked Hiccup while also getting the attention of the other teens.
"Yup, every single time. I've had better conversations with Toothless when he could only make dragon sounds." That last part made them really sad. They couldn't imagine being able to have a better conversation with someone who couldn't even talk than with their own parents.
"Welcome to the club cousin." When Hiccup looked at him questioningly Snotlout elaborated further. "A lot of the talks between me and my father are the same." He said with a sigh.
Hiccup was quite surprised about that, he had no idea Snotlout had similar problems. "It runs in the family I guess." He said, Snotlout nodding in agreement.
STOICK "DEAL?!"
Hiccup glances at the axe in his hands. It's a no-win argument.
HICCUP (resigned) "Deal."
"How is that a deal? Only one side is getting what they want." A Skrill asked the viking chief. It felt quite good to finally be free from the ice he was trapped in for so long.
The Berkians were shocked at seeing the Skrill. To their knowledge, the species had either gone extinct or relocated somewhere else. Dagur on the other hand was starstruck. The only dragon that could rival a Night Fury was right there. Not to mention it was the symbol of his tribe.
Satisfied, Stoick grabs his helmet and duffel bag... and heads for the door.
STOICK "Good. Train hard. I'll be back. Probably."
HICCUP "And I'll be here. Maybe."
Stoick heads out the door, leaving Hiccup holding the axe.
Everyone turned to stare at Hiccup. "And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" He stared at the floor and didn't answer.
"I think him cutting loose a pissed-off Night Fury so that it could kill him says enough." Viggo said getting a lot of dirty looks. He didn't seem fazed and continued. "What? I'm not wrong am I?" That made the vikings feel guilty yet again as it reminded them that they drove him to the point of almost ending his life.
EXT. TRAINING GROUNDS – DAY Gobber raises a massive iron gate at the entrance of a vast stone arena.
GOBBER "Welcome to dragon training!"
The recruits file through the gate, and out onto the arena floor. They take it in like gladiators entering the colosseum. The walls are covered in scorched silhouettes of blasted Vikings. It's a grim yet awe-inspiring place.
The dragons growled. This was one of those arenas where the vikings killed their kin. The dragons lovers were not very happy about this either, they were disgusted by it.
ASTRID "No turning back."
TUFFNUT "I hope I get some serious burns."
RUFFNUT "I'm hoping for some mauling, like on my shoulder or lower back."
"What?" Ruffnut and Tuffnut asked once they noticed everyone staring at them.
"If you get mauled on your lower back your spine could be permanently damaged causing you to be paralyzed from the waist down for the rest of your life." Hiccup said trying to make the twins see sense. The twins' parents and other teens shook their heads, the twins would never see sense.
"We could lose our legs?" The twins asked wide-eyed. Hiccup nodded his head confirming their question. "Awesome!" Hiccup threw his hands up, exasperated. Of course, the twins would think that's cool.
Heather leaned over to Astrid. "Are they… okay?"She quietly asked.
"Yeah, this is pretty normal for the twins." Astrid's answer did not reassure Heather in the slightest.
ASTRID "Yeah, it's only fun if you get a scar out of it."
Now they were staring at Astrid as if she'd grown a second head. "Was that sarcasm, a joke or are you spending too much time with the twins?" Astrid's parents asked her though she really had no answer for them.
"Hey, we had nothing to do with this. The only one we consider a fellow disciple of Loki is Hiccup." The twins cried out indignantly.
Hiccup shook his head and turned back towards the screen. "I don't even want to know."
HICCUP (O.S.) "Yeah, no kidding, right? Pain. Love it."
Now it was Hiccup's turn to be stared at. Though given everything that was revealed this time they actually had a real reason for concern.
"Sarcasm, people, sarcasm!" They decided to leave it at that. If there was one thing Hiccup was known for it was his sarcasm.
The recruits turn to see Hiccup behind them. Groans all around.
TUFFNUT "Oh great. Who let him in?"
The teens cringed at their past selves. "Sorry Hiccup." Tuffnut said.
"Ah, don't worry about it, it's fine." His answer didn't make them feel any better.
GOBBER "Let's get started! The recruit who does best will win the honor of killing his first dragon in front of the entire village."
"There is no honor in killing dragons." Throk, Mala and Atali said. They could somewhat understand why the Berkians would think like that since the dragons did raid them, but this wasn't normal dragon behavior so something else had to be going on here.
The teens, except for Hiccup, found themselves agreeing with Mala, Throk and Atali. At least a little bit. The dragons still raided them, but Hiccup had managed to make peace with a Night Fury so how hard could it be to do the same with the other dragons?
SNOTLOUT "Hiccup already killed a Night Fury, so does that disqualify him or...?"
The recruits LAUGH and chatter in the background.
TUFFNUT "Can I transfer to the class with the cool Vikings?"
Stoick had no idea the teens treated his son like that. Looking over in their direction he could see them profusely apologizing to Hiccup. Well, one problem was solved at least.
Gobber throws a supportive arm around Hiccup and ushers him along.
GOBBER (cheery, in confidence) "Don't worry. You're small and you're weak. That'll make you less of a target. They'll see you as sick or insane and go after the more Viking-like teens instead."
"Actually no we would do the opposite. We would take out the weaker ones first to lower your numerical advantage." The Nadder from the arena told the vikings who cringed. Hiccup was not about to have an easy time in the ring if that was the case.
"So that's why that Nightmare chased me during the raid." Hiccup said to himself. "And was that meant to sound supportive?" He called out to Gobber who shrugged.
"Alright, so I may not be the best at pep talks, but I don't see any of you doing any better." The blacksmith said as he shot glares at those who were laughing.
GOBBER sticks him in line with the others and continues on toward five massive reinforced doors. Terrible ROARS and BELLOWS issue from within.
GOBBER (CONT'D) "Behind these doors are just a few of the many species you will learn to fight."
Fishlegs bounces and giggles with excitement, barely able to contain himself.
GOBBER (CONT'D) "The Deadly Nadder."
FISHLEGS (under his breath) "Speed eight. Armor sixteen."
The teens groaned. At Hiccup's inquiring look Snotlout explained. "When Legs starts speaking dragon facts he doesn't stop." He shot an annoyed look at Fishlegs.
Fishlegs squirmed nervously under his look. "What? I just can't help myself."
GOBBER "The Hideous Zippleback."
FISHLEGS "Plus eleven stealth. Times two."
GOBBER "The Monstrous Nightmare."
FISHLEGS "Firepower fifteen."
GOBBER "The Terrible Terror."
FISHLEGS "Attack eight. Venom twelve."
GOBBER "CAN YOU STOP THAT?!" (beat) "And...the Gronckle."
FISHLEGS (quietly; to himself) "Jaw strength, eight."
Everyone stared at Fishlegs who chuckled nervously. "He he… I couldn't help myself?" They all rolled their eyes and went back to watching the movie.
Gobber pulls a lever, raising the cross beam on the last of the doors.
SNOTLOUT "Whoa, wait! Aren't you gonna teach us first!?"
"Oh, poor sweet innocent Snotlout. You see, Gobber believes in learning on the job…" Hiccup trailed off knowing his point was about to be proven.
GOBBER "I believe in learning on the job."
Gobber chuckled before he saw all the glares sent his way. Okay, maybe his teaching methods weren't exactly liked, but they worked just fine. No one died… yet.
BAM! A GRONCKLE thunders out of its cave, charging into the ring like an irate rhino.
The recruits scramble in every direction. Except for Ruffnut and Tuffnut who rush toward it, like pumped-up rodeo clowns.
Viggo shook his head in disapproval. They were sending in children to fight dragons they knew absolutely nothing about? No wonder they had such a hard time with the raids. Their only thought must be: if it's a dragon, kill it.
Mala, Throk and Atali were appalled at what they were seeing. Defending yourself from dragons was something they could at least try to tolerate, but fighting them for sport? Truly vile.
Heather was about to ask the twins what the hell they were doing, but Astrid stopped her. "Don't waste your breath. This is just how they are."
GOBBER (CONT'D) "Today is about survival. If you get blasted, you're dead. Quick, what's the first thing you're going to need?"
HICCUP "A doctor?"
"With how you're being taught I have to agree with that suggestion." Viggo said. The Berkians stared at him incredulously. The dragon lovers found that for once they actually agreed with the dragon hunter.
"Oy, what's that supposed to mean!?" Gobber asked the dragon hunter in outrage. His teaching methods were… good enough. "Not one of them died yet, so I'd call my methods successful." All he received were blank stares and some glares as well.
FISHLEGS "Plus five speed?"
"How… how do you even get that?" Heather giggled which made Fishlegs go red in the face. A lot of people were torn between laughing at the absurdity of what he said or crying about how their next generation of fighters was performing against a simple Gronckle.
ASTRID "A shield."
Astrid's parents smiled proudly. That was their little bloodthirsty shieldmaiden. It did make them wonder how Hiccup managed to beat her in dragon training. They also thought about how their daughter said she would rather date Hiccup than Snotlout back at the beginning of the movie. If they were honest with themselves Hiccup was the better choice. Even if he didn't want to kill dragons. If things went well they might have to start a marriage contract soon.
GOBBER "Shields. Go."
The recruits scramble for shields, finding them scattered around the ring.
GOBBER (CONT'D) "Your most important piece of equipment is your shield. If you must make a choice between a sword or a shield, take the shield."
Viggo had to admit that was solid advice if those kids were fighting other humans, but a wooden shield would not hold on for long against fire-breathing dragons. Yes, it would protect them for maybe one or two hits, but that was it. After that, the shield would get blasted away, melted by fire or acid and it wouldn't be effective against a Zippleback anyway. He shook his head.
Hiccup STRUGGLES to lift his. Gobber helps him and sends him running.
Ruff and Tuff stand amidst a dozen shields. But only one has a skull painted on it. They both grab it.
TUFFNUT "Get your hands off my shield!"
RUFFNUT "There are like a million shields!"
TUFFNUT "Take that one, it has a flower on it. Girls like flowers."
Ruffnut uses the shield to BASH Tuffnut in the face. He doesn't let go.
RUFFNUT "Ooops, now this one has blood on it."
The Gronckle takes aim at the distracted twins. Blam! The shield is blasted out of both of their hands. Tuff and Ruff SPIN like tops and go down.
The twins' parents shook their heads. Why couldn't they just work together? Or at least stop fighting? Especially when their lives were endangered.
The teens didn't even question the twins. It just wasn't worth it. Sometimes it seemed like those two actually did have a death wish.
GOBBER "Tuffnut, Ruffnut, you're out!"
TUFFNUT (dazed) "What?!"
RUFFNUT (confused) "What?!"
The Gronckle scoops up a pile of rocks and SWALLOWS them back. The teens gather on the far side of the ring.
"Did you leave ammo for the Gronckle on purpose?" Hiccup asked Gobber suspiciously. Gobber was looking around making sure to avoid the teens' gazes.
GOBBER "Those shields are good for another thing. Noise. Make lots of it to
throw off a dragon's aim."
The kids scoop up weapons and begin hammering on their shields. The Gronckle shakes its head at the clatter.
GRONCKLE'S POV - the teens targets become blurry and scrambled. It's working.
"Wow. So that's how it works." Dagur commented out loud, gaining nods of agreement from the rest of the vikings.
Fascinating. Truly fascinating. To actually be able to see it from a dragon's perspective was astonishing. To think this would show Viggo some things he didn't know yet.
GOBBER (CONT'D) "All dragons have a limited number of shots. How many does a Gronckle have?"
"Six!" Called out most of the vikings and the dragons.
SNOTLOUT "Five!"
FISHLEGS "No, six."
GOBBER "Correct, six. That's one for each of you!"
"How comforting to know and convenient she has enough shots to kill every single one of us." No one could really disagree with Hiccup about that. It was very convenient that the shot limit was the same as the number of recruits.
"Well, the twins both got taken out with just one shot so the Gronckle actually has one extra shot." Mala said which did not make the teens feel any better.
FISHLEGS "I really don't think my parents would-"
BAM! Fishlegs has his shield blasted away.
GOBBER "Fishlegs, out."
"Are you even trying to kill them?" Viggo asked the Gronckle from the arena. It wasn't an accusation, he was genuinely curious. As far as he could tell that dragon could have easily blasted the recruits to bits.
"Not really, no. They're still hatchlings. None of them have killed any of us yet." That answer really surprised the vikings. Since when did dragons have a conscience? Scratch that, since when were dragons, not mindless beasts? Ever since they got here the dragons seemed less and less like what they thought they were. But then why did they raid them? It just made no sense.
Gobber spots Hiccup hiding from the Gronckle's molten slugs.
GOBBER (CONT'D) "Hiccup, get in there!"
Gobber looked at Hiccup expectantly. As did the other teens and the rest of the vikings. "I'm doing exactly what you told us to do. Surviving. You never said how to do it." They nodded. Yeah, yeah he was right.
"There goes that extra shot." Throk muttered under his breath. He hated what was going on on-screen, but at the same time, he couldn't find it in himself to fully blame the vikings. He had never seen dragons raid villages like that and it made no sense for them to do so. Looking at it from the Berkians' point of view they were just defending themselves against dragons who were attacking them and stealing their food for seemingly no reason. He was sure Queen Mala and Atali also knew that though they would never admit it. It did not excuse what was happening in that ring though.
ON ASTRID bouncing on her heels, ready to dodge a blast. Snotlout appears, trying to hit on her.
SNOTLOUT "So anyway I'm moving into my parents' basement. You should come by sometime to work out. You look like you work out-"
"Wait what are you- OW!" Everyone looked over to see Snotlout on the floor holding his nose. Next to him, the other teens stared at him with pity while Astrid sat there with an innocent smile on her face. She never did get to punch him for that particular comment, but now she did and all was right in the world again.
She cartwheels out of the way, allowing a shot to shoot past her and hit Snotlout's shield. He's blasted onto his back.
GOBBER "Snotlout! You're done!"
Astrid ROLLS to a stop beside Hiccup, who stirs awkwardly, trying to look cool.
HICCUP (voice breaking) "So, I guess it's just you and me huh?"
"Not as bad as Snotlout, but not good either." Toothless knew Hiccup had confidence issues, but that would have to change. Though he was sure it would be better once Hiccup spends more time with those other hatchlings. Especially his mate. Toothless' idea of a near-death experience combined with a romantic flight worked splendidly.
"Well, I tried okay?" Hiccup said. He received a tail slap to the back of his head for the muttered useless reptile at the end of his sentence.
ASTRID "No. Just you."
Astrid ROLLS away. A split-second later a lava slug knocks Hiccup's shield clear off of his arm. Hiccup is exposed.
Astrid winced. She probably should have warned him. "Sorry, Hiccup."
He waved her off. "It's fine. You were just avoiding the shot from the Gronckle."
GOBBER "One shot left!"
"Last one left for Astrid." Heather had a gut feeling that something would go wrong with that last shot.
Hiccup panics and chases after his shield as it rolls across the ring. The sudden movement sends the Gronckle chasing after him, leaving Astrid in the clear.
"Nevermind." And there it is. Hiccup had to be cursed or something. How else could someone have so much bad luck.
GOBBER (CONT'D) (worried) "Hiccup!"
"Wait why isn't Hiccup out?" Stoick asked his friend who didn't really have an answer for that. The teens also had to wonder why Hiccup wasn't out. Was Gobber showing favoritism? Because if he was then that favoritism almost got Hiccup killed that day.
"And why did you keep going after him?" Someone asked the Gronckle.
"He wasn't out so I assumed he was better." Was all they got out of the Gronckle. It was also because Hiccup smelled like a Night Fury, but the Gronckle would tell them that later.
The Gronckle drives straight toward Hiccup, pinning him against the wall. It opens its mouth and cocks its tail, ready to fire point-blank.
Even though everyone knew this had already happened and Hiccup was fine… physically at least, they all tensed and gripped their armrests. Stoick and Spitelout especially. Gobber already knew what happened, but he still tensed as he remembered just how close that Gronckle had been to… Best not to think about it. The teens only now realized just how close it had been.
Gobber lunges in and hooks the Gronckle's mouth at the last second, causing its head to jerk back and fire against the stone wall above Hiccup's head.
GOBBER (CONT'D) (rattled, but masking it) "And that's six!"
Everyone relaxed and breathed sighs of relief. Dagur turned to the Gronckle that almost ended his brother. "You said you didn't kill kids who haven't killed dragons!"
"Well, I thought he killed a dragon before." At their questioning gazes she continued. "He smelled like the Night Fury and no one who meets one of them ever survives so I assumed the hatchling killed him."
Gobber wrestles the irate Gronckle back into his pen.
GOBBER (CONT'D) "Go back to bed, ya overgrown sausage! You'll get another chance, don't you worry."
"I'm not a sausage!" The Gronckle from the arena growled. The other Gronckles in the room were also shouting at the blacksmith who dared to insult them like that.
"Well, you Gronckles do look kinda sausage-y." A Nightmare said before being clubbed by the Gronckle's tail.
Slam! Lock. Gobber turns to the recruits.
GOBBER (CONT'D) "Remember... a dragon will always," (with a stern look to Hiccup) "always go for the kill."
"Hmm, always Gobber?" Hiccup asked smugly.
Gobber shot his apprentice a glare. "And how was I supposed to know that?"
He hoists Hiccup to his feet and walks off. Hiccup looks overhead to see a steaming pit in the solid stone wall.
"You're going to do something stupid aren't you?" Dagur asked his little brother who refused to meet anyone's eyes and answer that question.
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.
A lot of people threw their hands up in exasperation. "Of course, you would go back to look for it." Yeah, that sealed the deal. Hiccup wasn't just depressed, he was just straight-up insane.
HICCUP (muttered) "So...why didn't you?"
Why didn't it kill him? Everyone did have to wonder. They didn't have to wonder for long since someone remembered that the dragons could talk in here and that Night Fury was somewhere among them. "Why didn't you kill Hiccup?" Their main theory was that the Night Fury didn't kill children just like the Gronckle.
"He spared me, so I spared him." Both the vikings and the dragons did a double take. That was it? Was it really that simple? And why did it sound like the unholy offspring of lightning and death was somewhere around the teens even though it looked like there was nothing there?
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, and you should get out of there as fast as possible." Stoick said as if the Hiccup on screen could actually hear him.
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.
"You're happy to find it again?!" Stoick was almost shouting at this point. Just what was his son thinking?!
"I was curious." Hiccup was panicking on the inside again. Oh, Gods, they would see him befriend Toothless. They saw him free him and their reactions weren't that bad, but once they saw him actually make peace with a dragon they would kill him. Probably blood eagle him. He just hoped that Astrid and the rest of the gang wouldn't try to interfere and put themselves in the line of fire. As if sensing his distress Toothless put his head in Hiccup's lap. It helped to calm him down a little.
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.
Why wasn't the Night Fury flying away? Those around Hiccup took a closer look at the dragon and saw what looked like an artificial tail fin. Did Hiccup do that?
As if remembering to snap a photo, Hiccup pulls a leatherbound book and flips past drawings of weapons to a blank page. He sketches the dragon quickly, desperate to record the image.
"That's a really good drawing." Bucket said and everyone agreed with that.
"It's really not that good and it's not even a drawing, it's just a sketch-" Before he could keep putting himself down Astrid punched his arm, cutting off anything else he was going to say.
"It's good. Just take the praise." Those who sat around Hiccup agreed with her and gave their own compliments. Hiccup turned a bit pink and ducked his head. Give him a break, he wasn't used to praise and compliments.
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.
Even some of the vikings felt sympathy for the dragon. And that was not something they thought they would ever say.
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.
"A downed dragon is a dead dragon." All of the Berkian adults said at the same time. The teens would have found it creepy if they hadn't just realized what would have happened to Toothless if Hiccup hadn't found him and apparently somehow made him a new 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.
"You survived an encounter with a Night Fury… TWICE?!" Dagur was amazed. Not only did his brother survive a Night Fury once, he went back to look for it and still didn't die.
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 teens groaned and Astrid sent them a glare.
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."
"Sarcasm. I like it." Hiccup said with a nod and Ruffnut smiled. Astrid wasn't jealous. No definitely not.
Toothless saw this and tried not to laugh. His brother in all but blood already had his mate hooked. Yup, Toothless was a matchmaking master.
SNOTLOUT (grabbing Astrid's hand) "No, no, you were great. That was so 'Astrid'."
Astrid was about to punch Snotlout again, but Hiccup held her back this time. "I think he's had enough."
She huffed. "Fine he's had enough… for now." Her comment made Hiccup roll his eyes good-naturedly.
#StopSnotloutAbuse That's #SSA for short or just ASS spelled backward.
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?"
"Thanks, Gobber." Hiccup's tone of voice was completely flat. It was clear he was being sarcastic.
But Gobber being Gobber. "No problem lad!"
He tries to take a seat at the table...
RUFFNUT "He showed up."
"Wasn't really my choice."
TUFFNUT "He didn't get eaten."
"And I would prefer to keep it that way."
... but the recruits keep closing the gaps. Rolling his eyes, Hiccup sits at the vacant table next to them.
The teens were, once again, profusely apologizing to Hiccup.
ASTRID "He's never where he should be."
"That one is actually true." He got slapped by Toothless tail for that one. Toothless swore that Hiccup would one day kill someone with that sarcasm of his.
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 (CONT'D) "The dragon manual. Everything we know about every dragon we know of."
Viggo chuckled loudly. "Not even close." He highly doubted there was anything in that book other than how to actually kill a dragon.
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.
The non-berkians were still puzzled about the raids. They had never heard of dragons raiding villages like that. It simply wasn't natural dragon behavior. Why would they steal food when they can hunt and fish for themselves? Even Viggo had no idea what the hell was going on with those dragons.
"You left them alone?!" Stoick sent a glare at his friend. Snotlout's and the twins' parents groaned in dismay. There was no way in hellheim their kids would read that book.
"I'm sure they read it." Gobber said while sending a glare toward the teens who looked away confirming they did not actually read it.
TUFFNUT (you've got to be kidding) "Wait, you mean read?"
RUFFNUT "While we're still alive?"
"No, when you're in Valhalla." Heather said with a roll of her eyes.
"There are books in Valhalla?!" The twins asked horrified. "I thought it was supposed to be paradise." Cue more eye rolls from everybody.
SNOTLOUT "Why read words when you can just kill the stuff the words tell you stuff about?"
Spitelout stared at the screen blankly before dropping his head into his hands. And these were meant to be the next generation of Berk? So far only Hiccup, Astrid and Fishlegs had shown any promise.
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…"
Everyone snorted. Yeah right. The twins and reading a book? Never going to happen.
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. "Tomorrow." SIGH.
"Sorry." She said before realizing the whole village was staring at her. They had expected the twins and Snotlout not to read, but Astrid? "I already read that book before."
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) When startled, the Thunderdrum produces a concussive sound that can kill a man at close range. Extremely dangerous. Kill on sight."
Hiccup's eyes drift to a lurid illustration of decapitated Vikings. Another page, another dragon.
"When startled?" Now that was interesting. So the vikings' book about dragons actually did have something more than Viggo thought it did.
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.
"That is deeply upsetting." Fishlegs said and everyone else found themselves agreeing with him. Well, everyone except for the twins that is. They looked at each other. If this is what books were like then they would have to read more.
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. Kill on sight."
He begins flipping through the pages. A blur of dragons...
HICCUP (CONT'D) "Gronckle. Zippleback. The Skrill. BoneKnapper."
"That damn Boneknapper again." Gobber was cursing the dragon who had been haunting him.
"You know he doesn't even exist right?" One of the older vikings asked the blacksmith. The crazy stories he'd heard from Gobber were exactly that… crazy.
"What do you mean? Of course, Boneknappers exist, they're just very reclusive." A dragon told the vikings who winced. Well, shit.
Gobber proclaims victory and brags to the Berkians. "You all thought I was crazy! Well, look who's crazy now, eh?!" The vikings were already starting to get annoyed and it was only going to get worse.
"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…"
The dragon lovers shook their heads. Was violence the only thing the Berkians knew? They were even worse than the Dragon Hunters. At least they only hunted dragons for profit and not because they had some personal hatred for them.
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.
"You're the first person ever who saw and got a drawing of a Night Fury." Fishlegs said in amazement.
"Ehh, Fishlegs?" Hiccup said pointing to Toothless.
"W-well, you weren't friends with him at the time." Fishlegs pointed out and Hiccup and Toothless had to agree with that.
HICCUP (CONT'D) "Speed unknown. Size unknown. The unholy offspring of lightning and death itself."
Toothless puffed up his chest in pride. "Yes, fear me you puny humans!" Hiccup rolled his eyes and knocked out the useless reptile with the neck thing, reducing him to a purring cat to the shock of the teens. How did he do that? Maybe the movie would finally show them his secrets.
HICCUP (V.O.) (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…