The monster's tail swept across the burning ships, snapping masts like twigs. Hiccup continued working at the chains. He couldn't budge them. Fire licked at his clothes. He looked up to see... The Red Death blasting at the teens, enraged. The monster's giant foot crashed down, smashing the bow under its impressive weight. Hiccup and Toothless were thrown into the water in a maelstrom of burning planks and rigging.
Underwater, Hiccup swam toward Toothless. They were both caught in a mess of rigging, being dragged down. The heavy palette settled into the rocky bottom like an anchor. Toothless had stopped struggling. Hiccup took one more hopeless tug at the chains - he was almost out of air. Suddenly, a black hand grabbed Hiccup. Kara exploded to the surface, pulling Hiccup to the shoreline through flaming debris. She laid him down, under the shelter of an overhanging rock.
"Dad..." Stoick dove into the water between flaming flotsam. Kara held Hiccup to her. There was stillness as the teens caught their breath. BOOM! In an explosion of sea water, Toothless landed on the shore, setting Stoick down and releasing him. Hiccup was awed. The ground rumbled underfoot. The monster screeched. Its massive claws stomped around in the smoke. Stoick gave way as Toothless mounted the rock and raised his wings. He turned to Hiccup and snorted -
'Let's go.'
"You got it, bud." Hiccup climbed onto Toothless and buckled himself in. Stoick grabbed his .
"I'm sorry...for everything." He said.
"Yeah...me too."
"You don't have to go up there."
"We're Vikings. It's an occupational hazard." They exchanged smiles.
"I'm proud to call you my son." Hiccup beamed, taken aback.
"Thanks dad." Stoick let go of Hiccup's arm. Kara pulled him into a kiss before Hiccup spurred Toothless on, charged with his father's belief in him. They rocketed into the sky as Stoick and Kara watched.
"So... are you two-"
"Not the time, Stoick." Kara said, smirking.
"And you're a dragon?" She took to the air.
Astrid saw Toothless streaking through the sky, gaining altitude.
"He's up!" She turned to Ruffnut and Tuffnut, who were arguing and throwing punches at each other. "Get Snotlout out of there!"
Mid punch, the twins looked over to see Snotlout stranded on the monster's head. They eyed each other.
"I'm on it!" They yelled in unison.
"I'm on it first! I'm ahead of you." Tuff snapped. The twins spotted Snotlout on the giant dragon and steered their Zippleback in his direction.
"Hey! Let me drive!" Ruff yelled. The twins peeled off, arguing as they raced each other to the monster. Snotlout and Kara saw the Zippleback diving toward him and he dashed down the Red Death's head. He ran up the end of its horn... As the twins swept past, both missing him... but perfectly snatching him where the necks merged. Ruff and Tuff eyed each other, surprised and impressed.
"I can't believe that worked." Tuff laughed.
The Red Death spotted Astrid and inhaled, preparing to blast. She and her Nadder were caught in the suction, pulled toward the monster's gaping mouth.
The Vikings watched with dread. They heard the familiar whir of the...
"Night Fury! Get down!"
A massive blast jolted the Red Death's head sideways. Astrid was thrown clear of its mouth... And her Nadder. She tumbled through the air. The ground raced toward her, when... She's suddenly caught by the leg. She looked up to see Kara.
"Kara?" She grunted. They flew over the crowd of Vikings and Kara set Astrid down, mid- run. She circled back to reengage - a black speck against the clouds.
"Go." Astrid said, grinning. Kara met Toothless mid-air and she talked to Hiccup for a moment. She then rocketed back towards the vikings.
"Was that... Kara?" Gobber asked. Astrid only shrugged.
Hiccup and Toothless rocketed past the Red Death's head and climbed, higher and higher.
"That thing has wings!" Kara said, catching up with him.
"Okay, let's see if it can use them!" Hiccup said. Hiccup pulled Toothless into a turn. They plummeted, gaining tremendous speed. The wind buffeteds them as they targeted the Red Death as super sonic speed. KABLAM! Toothless unloaded a fireball against the Red Death's head. It went down with a rumble as they climb anew.
The Vikings shielded themselves from the dust of the fallen monster... as its wings unfolded and extended.
Hiccup looked back as they put distance between them.
"Do you think that did it?" Hiccup asked. Suddenly, the enraged behemoth RISES into frame... flapping its wings furiously. A daunting sight.
"Well, he can fly." Kara remarked. The trio dove into the tangled sea stacks - they wove through the rock like rabbits through a briar. The Red Death snapped at them, but couldn't reach them. Hiccup, Kara, and Toothless pulled ahead. The Red Death smashed through the canopy of rock and pulled in behind Toothless. He bursted through fifty-foot formations like they were saplings.
Stoick, Gobber, and the Teens watch as The trio streaked past, weaving through sea stacks.
"Woohoo! Yeah!" The teens cheered. A moment later the Red Death smashed the sea stacks to dust in hot pursuit. The Vikings mood was quenched.
Hiccup and Toothless nor Kara could slow the monster down. Hiccup eyed the clouds above. An idea hit him. He locked eyes with Kara, then Toothless.
"Okay Toothless, time to disappear." Toothless and Kara pulled into a steep climb, heading toward the clouds. "Come on bud!"
The Red Death followed, closing in fast. Kara heard the gas.
"Here it comes!" BLAST! They narrowly dodged a column of flame and smoke. They reached the low-hanging clouds and pierced them. The monster followed, immediately losing them in the hampered visibility. It roared irritably. From out of nowhere, Toothless and Kara dove at the huge dragon, blasting and puncturing a hole in its wing. The trio were gone again before the dragon can get a shot at them.
The Vikings stared up at the sky, listening to the resounding booms and watching flashes light up the clouds. Gobber placed a hand on Stoick's shoulder.
The trio dove in again and again, using the clouds to hide and surprise as they punctured the monster's wings. It bellowed in frustration and whirled around, unleashing fire blindly, in all directions. Hiccup saw the glow of fire cutting towards them.
"Watch out!" The random blast clipped Toothless' tail. It was heavily damaged. Kara, who had cried out, was examining her side. "Kara, go down. You need help now."
"I'm not leaving you." Kara said, but she winced as her side ached. Hiccup gave her a pointed look and she flew closer. "Be safe."
"Okay." He agreed. They kissed, and then Kara rocketed past the Red Death and to the gathering of vikings. "time's up. Let's see if this works."
He pulled Toothless into a turn. They flew directly into the Red Death's face, taunting it.
Astrid helped patch up Kara's side after the girl became fully human again. She leaned on Stoick as she watched her boyfriend and his dragon battle the Red Death. Her eyes widened.
They were dead in the air. The giant club tail clipped Toothless, tearing Hiccup from the harness and sending him tumbling against the backdrop of the fast-approaching fireball. Toothless struggled with all his might to reach the unconscious Hiccup. But the fireball swallowed them both.
The Vikings watched in horror as Hiccup and Toothless disappeared into the boiling inferno.
A whiteout of ash. And through it came...
"Hiccup? Hiccup!?" Stoick appeared, searching desperately, Kara at his side. Everything as scorched. Even the ground was smoking from the terrible heat. "Hiccup!? Son!?"
Through the ash, Kara spotted the motionless silhouette of Toothless.
"Hiccup." She breathed, grave. She hurried to the dragon's side with Stoick. Toothless was roughed up, but conscious. His scorched saddle, however, was vacant. Stoick looked to the sky in despair. He buckled at the knees, overwhelmed by the loss.
"Oh son...I did this..." He groaned. Astrid pushed through the crowd, her eyes welling up. Followed by Gobber. They flanked Stoick and Kara as they knelt, slumped over. Behind them, a ring of Vikings formed, keeping a respectful distance. As the dust and smoke cleared, a ring of wild dragons could also be seen, gathering just behind and between the Vikings. Toothless stirred and groggily rolled his head toward Stoick. Their eyes met. "I'm so sorry..."
Toothless unfolded his wings, revealing Hiccup, unconscious, clutched safely against his chest. Stoick's eyes widened and Kara let out a grateful sob.
"Hiccup." She said. Stoick scooped Hiccup into his arms, listened to his heart... And bursted into relieved laughter.
"He's alive!" Stoick exclaimed. Kara shifted so that she could touch Hiccup's face. "You brought him back alive!"
The crowd roared. Followed by the dragons. The Vikings looked around to find themselves surrounded. Stoick leaned close to Toothless, meeting him eye to eye.
"Thank you... for saving my son." Stoick said to Toothless. Gobber looked Hiccup up and down.
"Well, you know... most of him." Gobber said. Stoick glanced back at him. Gobber shrugged, redirecting their eyes toward...