EXT. North
sea/berk -- day
We dive into an overhead shot of Berk, descending
through wispy clouds and skimming quickly around the mountains behind
the village.
hiccup (v.o)
This is Berk. For years it was Viking
against dragon. The battles were ferocious...then one day, everything
changed.
Toothless and Hiccup fly past the camera,
shaking the view as the ascend back up into the clouds.
Hiccup (v.o)
I met Toothless, and together we've
shown people here that instead of fighting dragons we can ride
them...live with them, even train them.
Hiccup adjust Toothless's
prosthetic tail fin as they fly, and the two soar effortlessly through
the clouds, completely in sync.
They land softly on a nearby sea
pillar where Snotlout, Astrid, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Fishlegs and all their
dragons have also landed.
hiccup
Okay guys, best trick competition, who's up
first?
fishlegs
(hesitantly)
Uh...
Snotlout
Me!
FIshlegs
Actually I think it's...
snotlout
Me!
Astrid
(annoyed)
Oh, sweet baby Thor in a thunderstorm,
go!
snotlout
Oh don't worry, we'll go. And when we go,
Hookfang and I are gonna light the sky with-
Hookfang jumps off the cliff with Snotlout
in tow before he even finishes his gloating.
snotlout (continued)
-FIRE! Oh no!!!!
Hookfang soars low to the water,
diving through the openings of he pillars and cliffs of the North Sea
and taking enjoyment with Snotlout's frightened screams.
The dragon flies through the narrow
opening between two pillars and Snotlout's helmet scrapes the side of
the one of the pillars, his rider completely terrified at that point.
Still, Hookfang finishes with diving under water before flying back up
to where the other riders, thoroughly proud of himself for scaring
Snotlout.
Snotlout
I'm alive...? I'm alive!
Snotlout immediately tries to cover his
frightened expression but no one's buying it.
He still tries anyways.
snotlout
Of course I am.
fishlegs
It's my turn!
(He readies himself on Meatlug)
Ready Meatlug? Here we go!
Seemingly getting ready to do
something amazing, everyone is surprised to see that Meatlug and
Fishlegs simply ride in a small circle around the pillar before landing
again with a sheepish pride among their performance.
fishlegs
Yes! New personal best!
Fishlegs gives Meatlug an affectionate hug
and Meatlug returns it by licking the side of his face.
ruffnut
My turn!
tuffnut
No, my turn!
Hiccup intervenes with a roll of his eyes.
hiccup
Guys, same dragon.
Tuffnut
Oh, right.
Ruffnut and Tuffnut "fist bump"
before flying off on their Zippleback--Barf and Belch--but right from
the start the two can't agree on which way to fly.
tuffnut
Go left!
ruffnut
No right!
tuffnut
N-no, right!
Ruffnut
No, left!
Their inability to agree on a way to go
causes the heads of their Zippleback to entangled and they get thrown off their
dragon.
tuffnut
(In mid-air free fall)
Oh no! Whoa! This is awesome and scary!
Ahhh!
Luckily Barf and Belch come to the twin's
rescue and catch both Ruffnut and Tuffnut before they hit the water and land
shakily.
ruffnut
(out of breath)
We almost died.
tuffnut
I know....go again!?
Astrid
Hey! It's my turn.
(Turning to Hiccup smugly)
You might wanna take notes. Let's go!
Astrid flies off on Stormfly and the two
being their practiced routine.
astrid (continued)
Okay, Stormfly prepare to flip! Now twirl!
Quick, upward spiral!
Stormfly and Astrid fly perfectly in sync
with Astrid's commands, ending their routine high up in the clouds.
Astrid
Alright, Stormfly!
While everyone else is impressed as Astrid
lands, Snotlout simply scoffs.
Snotlout
Yeah, but can you do that without the
dragon?
Astrid punches him in the shoulder
Snotlout
Ow!
Astrid turns to Hiccup, giving him a silent
okay to go.
Hiccup simply seems highly amused.
hiccup
(To Toothless)
Looks like we've got our work cut out for
us there, bud.
Hiccup and Toothless dive off the
pillar heading nose-into the water before pulling up and soaring
blindingly quick over the top of the water. They glide past and through
pillars and cliffs before meeting an arched one, showing no fear to the
stumbling block in their flight pattern.
Hiccup leaps off of the Toothless
and runs across the top of the pillar while Toothless flies under the
arch of it, before they come together again as Hiccup jumps back onto
Toothless in a perfectly timed maneuver.
Everyone is visibly impressed--even
Snotlout--and Hiccup and Toothless finish off their performance with a
series of small fire shots that explode beautifully in front of
everyone.
Astrid
They're still the best.
Hiccup and Toothless descend as they still
fly through the clouds.
Hiccup
Another win. Good job, bud.
EXt. The
plaza-- day
Fade into the title card of "How to Start a
Dragon Academy" As Hiccup and Toothless land in the plaza.
hiccup (v.o)
Yep...dragons. Most people on Berk
would say life here is better since we made peace with them.
Unfortunately Dragons are still, well, dragons.
Hiccup dismounts Toothless and walks up
into the plaza, being passed by a fair amount of chaos.
A woman is having a piece of meat stolen by
a Terrible Terror as she tried to tug it away from the little dragon.
Viking woman #1
Let go of my food! Drop it pesky dragon!
(the dragon makes off with her food
anyways.)
Dragons!
viking man #1
(Yelling at a dragon perched atop
his house)
Get off my roof, you pest!
A man is having a tug-of-war with a dragon
for a bag of apples. But to no avail.
Viking Man #2
Let go of that! These are my apples!
Another dragon runs through a woman's
hanging laundry, snatching it off in the process.
Viking woman #2
Give me back my dainties, dragon!
More villagers all scatter around,
looking up at the sky, horrified and annoyed. Its three o'clock and
that means it's time for the dragons to leave their droppings.
Viking Man #3
Incoming!
Viking man #4
Look out!
Viking man #3
Dragon poo!
They all run for cover as if their life
depends on it.
hiccup
(backing away for cover)
Ew, gross, gross, gross. Oh poop. Oh,
that's disgusting.
He back up right into Bucket and
Mulch, who are both standing calmly with "umbrellas"--which is more
like shields perched on sticks--over them.
hiccup
Hey Mulch. Hey Bucket.
(He points upwards)
Sorry about the...uh...
bucket
Every day at three. They're regular at
least. A tip of the cap.
mulch
Better then the days when it was 'kill or
be killed'.
(to Hiccup)
Hey, we've got some fish for that father of
yours. Bucket, give the boy the cod.
Bucket holds up a small sack but it has a
gaping hole at the bottom. Obviously the fish isn't in there.
bucket
I ate it already...? Did I enjoy it?
Hiccup
Um, no, uh, actually Bucket...I'm afraid
the uh...
Hiccup directs their vision over to the
Terrible Terror who is making off with the fish, devouring it quickly.
hiccup (v.o)
Most of us here on Berk are willing
to take the good with the bad. But there are those who will never
accept the dragons and will do anything to drive them away.
ext.
mildew's house -- night
We skim over the village and settle
behind the mountain holding the Great Hall. Atop a large cliff resides
a small house nestled within the cliff, a vast field of cabbage in
front of it.
Fade into Mildew's house, where he
sleeps quietly before a disturbing banging atop his roof wakes him. The
shaking causes the axes he has hanging from the ceiling to drop and
almost cut his sheep--Fungus--in half. The sheep 'screams' and scurries
into the snuffed out fire pit.
Mildew, thoroughly annoyed, wakes up and
stomps outside, mumbling to himself.
He stops to see there is, in fact, a dragon
on his roof, snoring blissfully.
mildew
Dragons, I should've known.
He picks up a picked over piece of cabbage
and scowls.
mildew
Helps himself to my roof and my
cabbage.
He looks over at the field to see four more
dragons eating up all of his cabbage.
mildew
My whole field! Gone!
(Growling)
That tears it Fungus.
Mildew grabs his walking staff, his helmet,
and Fungus and proceeds to walk out of his house...again.
ext. storage
house -- day
The next day where Stoick and Gobber are
overseeing the storage of food for the winter.
stoick
Store the rest of it in the back, the
fishing boats just came in with a big catch.
mildew
Stoick!
gobber
Ah, here's Mildew with the complaint of the
day.
stoick
You picked a bad time, Mildew, I'm in the
middle of storing food. The freeze is coming.
mildew
(Ignoring Stoick's brush off)
It's those dragons again. Those demons are
not fit to live among civilized men.
gobber
Neither are you, Mildew. Why do you think
we built your house so far outside of town?
Mildew
Ah, very well, make your jokes. Meanwhile
these dragons are in our village's cod! Turn people's houses into piles of
rubble!
Mildew's loud words seem to grab
some of the villager's attention and support, for they begin gathering
around the storing house.
Viking man #4
Mildew's right!
mildew
They even disturb an old man's rest. Can't
you see these bags under me eyes?
Viking Man #5
Go on, Mildew!
gobber
(referring to Mildew's previous
comment)
He's right, he's hideous.
mildew
These are wild and unpredictable
beasts!
Viking Man #6
Right you are!
mildew
(to Bucket)
They even cracked this man's skull. Like an
egg.
bucket
Egg, I like eggs! Scrabbled! Over easy!
Poached!
mildew
(To Stoick)
You need to put those dragons in cages.
viking man #7
I agree!
mildew
If you don't they'll eat us out of house
and home and destroy the entire village!
The surrounding villages all shout
their agreements with Mildew before Hiccup steps in, fed up with
listening to the conversation on the sidelines.
hiccup
They don't mean any harm, they're just
dragons being dragons.
Stoick
Look, Mildew, if there's a problem I'll
deal with it.
mildew
Oh, there is a problem Stoick.
(He proceeds to walk away)
And I think I speak for everyone when I say
you better do something about it.
Mildew leaves the chaotic scenes of the
villagers all shouting at Stoick.
int. haddock
house -- night
Stoick paces in front of the fire
pit while Gobber carves a duck with his knife hand and Hiccup and
Toothless sit comfortably in the corner.
Stoick
We can't just let dragons run wild like
they own the place.
(He thinks...)
Hey, we could put up signs!
gobber
Signs...for dragons?
stoick
No! For the people.
gobber
Signs...for Vikings? We're not big readers,
Stoick.
stoick
Then we'll build a huge net and stretch it
around the plaza.
gobber
Nets? You do know they breath fire?
stoick
I know very well they breath fire,
Gobber.
(he groans)
Maybe Mildew was right?
He flips a chair behind him which Hiccup
turns back over. Announcing his idea.
Stoick
We have to figure something-
hiccup
No, no, wait Dad. What if I deal with the
dragons?
Stoick
(unsure)
You?
Hiccup
Who else? If anyone can control them, I
can. I'm the best man for the job.
stoick
You're not a man yet, Hiccup.
hiccup
Not if you don't give me the chance to be!
Stoick and Gobber regard each other with
contemplative looks, before Stoick finally gives in.
Stoick
Fair enough, you'll have your
chance...starting tomorrow.
ext. The
Plaza -- day
Hiccup walks up with confidence in his
stride, smiling broadly.
hiccup
Okay gang, there's gonna be some changes
around here.
In the distance a Viking woman is being
harassed by a Nadder trying to steal her bread.
viking woman #3
Get out! Shoo! For the last time, get your
nose out of my bread!
She runs into her house and the Nadder
still sniffs after the bread.
Hiccup runs up to help.
Hiccup
Hold on, I'll help you! Just...
The Nadder turns towards Hiccup and he
reaches out his hand to the dragon's nose.
Hiccup
(Sternly)
No!
The Nadder immediately calms down and
Hiccup smiles in his success.
hiccup
Alright.
But his victory is short lived when
a Gronckle crashes his way through the plaza, making all the
surrounding dragons go haywire.
hiccup
Okay...
Hiccup looks up on a nearby ramp to
see a Nadder and Nightmare beginning a fight. And coming down the ramp
are screaming sheep, one of them is even on fire!
Hiccup, already overwhelmed, runs towards
the sheep.
Hiccup
Toothless, stop that fight! I'll put out
the sheep.
Toothless obeys without hesitation and hops
up to the two fighting dragons.
Hiccup runs into the center of
plaza, trying to find a bucket of water for the flaming sheep, but ends
up getting caught in the cross-way of dragons and people fighting and
flying everywhere!
hiccup
Okay, okay...whoa!
He pauses for a moment, completely lost of
what to do.
A man pushes him out of the way, chasing
down a Nadder who's stealing his food cart.
Viking Man #8
Get out! Get back here with my cart!
Viking Man #9
Enough of these dragons!
Meanwhile, on one of the old watch
towers, the other Viking teens are watching chaos unfold overhead and
Hiccup failing to manage it.
Snotlout
What's he doing?
tuffnut
Uh, I think he's helping the dragons break
stuff...?
ruffnut
Cool.
Back on the ground, Hiccup has
finally gotten a bucket of water and runs up to the terrified, burning
sheep, but it ends up knocking him down instead and Hiccup slides down
the hill, watching the scene before him in even more dismay.
Astrid watches overhead, worried.
Astrid
Wow, he could really use our help.
tuffnut
We'll get to it.
ruffnut
In a minute.
On the ground the burning sheep still runs
around scared out of it's fur before Hiccup finally succeeds in putting it
out.
The sheep collapses in relief.
hiccup
Sorry about that.
Right on time, the dragons flying overhead
begin to drop their 'droppings' over the plaza.
Astrid
And...it's three o'clock.
The droppings continue to fall over
the plaza, one of them coming right toward's an exhausted Hiccup's
face. Sadly, though he's too tired to move and just accepts the fate
coming to him.
hiccup
Oh...no.
int.
hiccup's room -- night
Hiccup sits on his bed with Toothless next
to him, stretching his arm.
hiccup
Oh, everything hurts...
He takes off his prosthetic leg.
Hiccup (continued)
Even this.
Astrid (o.s)
Hiccup!?
Hiccup perks up when he hears Astrid's
voice and puts his leg back on, standing quickly and dusting himself off.
Hiccup
Astrid? Perfect.
(to Toothless)
I don't look too beat up do I?
Toothless simply gives Hiccup a
good once-over glance and growls, trying to be supportive, but Hiccup
sees straight through the Night Fury's good intentions.
Hiccup
Oh great, dragon pity.
Astrid makes her way up the steps and into
Hiccup's room, wearing a worried expression.
Hiccup
Hey, Astrid, what a nice surprise!
Astrid
(A little awkwardly)
So, how was your day?
hiccup
Uh, uneventful. Hung around the plaza...you
know...
astrid
Yeah I do know....we saw you out there
Astrid picks a piece of rubble off of
Hiccup's vest, scrutinizing it before flicking it away.
astrid
It's hard to believe you're still standing.
Hiccup lets out an exhausted sigh before
falling back on his bed, finished.
hiccup
I'm gonna be seeing flaming sheep in my
dreams for the next month.
stoick (o.s)
Hiccup!
Hiccup immediately stands when he heard his
father's tone of voice as Stoick comes up the stairs and enters his room.
stoick
Hiccup, what's going on out there? The
plaza looks like a war zone.
HICCUP
I know it looks bad-
Astrid
(whispering)
Really bad.
hiccup
Yeah but this is only "phase one" of my
master plan.
stoick
(relieved)
Oh, so you do have a plan?
Hiccup
(putting up a front)
I do...of course I do. It's very complex.
Lots of drawings, several moving parts. Yeah, it's, uh, pretty wild.
Stoick
Uh huh. Well, this better real
because Mildew's stirred up the whole island. And if you don't get
those dragons under control, they'll be calling for their heads.
Hiccup walks over to a worried Toothless,
scratching behind his ear to reassure him.
Hiccup
(softly)
Don't worry, bud, your head's not going
anywhere.
astrid
You do realize there are, like, a bazillion
dragons out there and only one of you. I hope you really do have a plan.
EXT. KILL RING - DAY
We zoom in
on the dragon training arena from above.
RUFFNUT
(off screen)
That's
your plan? Train dragons?
The teens
stand in the arena, their dragons at their side.
TUFFNUT
Here?
Where we used to kill them?
Hiccup
carries a basket of baguettes to Toothless.
HICCUP
Right...
because we don't do that anymore.
Hiccup sets
the basket down, which Toothless begins to sniff. Hiccup turns to address
the teens.
HICCUP
That's
why it's available.
ASTRID
Actually,
the dragons do seem a little nervous.
Astrid
strokes Stormfly's beak reassuringly.
FISHLEGS
That's
because they're very sensitive.
Fishlegs
rests his cheek against Meatlug and strokes her face.
FISHLEGS
Meatlug
especially. She lost a cousin here.
He leans
towards Astrid conspiratorially.
FISHLEGS
(whispers)
We
try not to talk about it.
Astrid
steps away from Stormfly and approaches Hiccup.
ASTRID
It's
amazing your dad just gave us the arena.
HICCUP
Well,
it would be, if he did, yeah, but, he didn't, so that's another thing we should
try not to talk about.
ASTRID
(Suspiciously)
Wait,
so we're going behind your father's back?
HICCUP
There
you go! Talking about it! Uh...
Hiccup
walks away from Astrid, rubbing his head in a nervous gesture, and turns to
address the other teens, pacing back and forth.
HICCUP
Alright.
Everybody, here's the thing. The dragons are out of control. We want them to live in our world without
destroying it but they can't without our help.
They've been blowing things up in the
village... we've gotta do something about that.
TUFFNUT
Got
it! Help dragons blow things up. We can totally do that.
Ruffnut
nods beside him, looking smug.
HICCUP.
No.
I believe I said--
RUFFNUT
Here's
how we're gonna do it:
She knocks
Tuffnut in the shoulder, who looks as excited as she does.
RUFFNUT
First,
we make them really, really angry...
TUFFNUT
No
problem. We anger everybody.
HICCUP
(Frustrated)
No,
you guys, this is serious. Mildew wants all of our
dragons caged. And I don't know about you but
that's not okay with me.
TUFFNUT
You're
right.
(pointing to Ruffnut)
She's
sorry.
Ruffnut
glares at her brother.
HICCUP
Okay
then. Next problem...
Hiccup
walks to the basket and pulls out a baguette. Toothless immediately licks his
chops as soon as the bread is in sight.
HICCUP
The
dragons are eating everything in sight. Now, when a dragon grabs something it's not
supposed to have...
He walks to
Toothless and holds out the baguette. Toothless chomps down on the bread.
HICCUP (Continued)
You
can get him to drop it by giving him a little scratch just below the chin.
Hiccup
reaches under Toothless' jaw and begins to scratch. Toothless' eyes roll
in pleasure and his mouth slackens. Hiccup gently takes the bread out of
Toothless' mouth, his demonstration a success.
Snotlout
saunters up to Hiccup.
SNOTLOUT
Ememememeuh!
Snotlout
snatches the rescued baguette from Hiccup's hand.
SNOTLOUT
Maybe
that works for you and Toothless... But Hookfang and me? We do things a
little different.
Snotlout
throws the baguette off screen. Hookfang catches it in his jaws, leaving
the bread protruding half out of his mouth. Snotlout walks up to his
dragon, confident.
SNOTLOUT
When
I want this big boy to do something I just get right in his face and--
(shouting)
DROP
THAT RIGHT NOW! YOU HEAR ME?
Hookfang
lowers his head for a moment, appearing chastised, before throwing the bread
aside with a jerk of his head. Then he chomps down on Snotlout's head and
torso, releasing a snarl with the action. He gives Snotlout a light shake.
Snotlout's arms and legs jiggle uselessly, but otherwise the boy remains
motionless inside his dragon's mouth.
SNOTLOUT
(muffled)
See?
He dropped it...
The teens
watch, unimpressed but amused.
TUFFNUT
(chuckling)
Heh
heh. Should we help him?
ASTRID
Yeah.
In a minute.
HICCUP
(calling for attention)
Alright.
We've got a lot of training to do, but together--
Hiccup
reaches into the basket and pulls out two more baguettes.
HICCUP (continued)
--we
can keep these dragons under control.
Astrid
starts forward to begin Stormfly's training. The twins share a look and follow
suit. Hookfang maintains his hold on Snotlout, who is left hanging
several meters above the ground in the jaws of a Monstrous Nightmare.
SNOTLOUT
(muffled)
Uh...
can somebody do that chin scratchy thing? Hello?
Hookfang
shakes Snotlout again.
SNOTLOUT
(whimpering)
You
guys still there?
ext. Central Berk - DAY
We zoom in
on the village, coasting over the sea. The Berk kids are walking through
the village center with Hiccup in the lead. They pause and glance around
the suspiciously quiet area.
FISHLEGS
Huh.
No dragons.
RUFFNUT
(shrugging)
That
was easy.
SNOTLOUT
Lunch?
HICCUP
That's
weird. If the dragons aren't here, where are they?
We hear a
loud boom and a scream from off screen. A cloud of fire and smoke billows
upward from behind some houses. The teens stare in it's direction,
dumbfounded.
ASTRID
Something
tells me that way...
ext. storage house/BERK - DAY
With a
bird's eye view of the village, a cloud of dark smoke mushroom from the
northern side. A Zippleback flies toward away as the smoke below
disperses. In the distance other dragons circulate the area.
Angry
vikings and commotion are heard from below.
VIKING Man #9
Ow!
Stop it! Give me that--that's mine!
Hiccup and
the others run onto the scene. They look concerned as shock and disappointment
spread across their faces.
ASTRID
(uncertain)
Stormfly?
Stormfly
and Hookfang are bent over several overturned fish barrels and eating the fish.
Stormfly looks up as her name is called, confirming Astrid's suspicions.
SNOTLOUT
Hookfang!
Hookfang
looks up as well.
Hiccup runs
up the steps of the food storage unit. The doors are thrown open and
unhinged. The wreckage of crates and barrels litter the area.
Stoick is
inside attempting to clear the mess. He lifts a broken support beam on
his shoulders and throws it off to the side with an infuriated roar. Noticing
Hiccup, Stoick marches outside.
STOICK
They've
eaten everything! We've got nothing left for the freeze!
Mildew
sidles up to Stoick as soon as he steps outside.
MILDEW
I warned you
Stoick. But did you listen to me? No. You put a bunch
of teenagers in charge.
Mildew
glares reproachfully at the teens. They look stricken and scornful as
they glare at Mildew in turn.
Mildew
turns back to Stoick.
MILDEW (continued)
Now
look what the dragons have done! Caging is too good for those beasts.
HICCUP
(desperate)
Dad,
I swear I can fix this. We-we were just starting to--
STOICK
Enough,
Hiccup! How can I trust you to control all the dragons, when you couldn't even
control your own?
He gestures
off screen to Toothless.
Toothless
pulls his head out of a fish basket, the tail of a fish hanging from his mouth.
He warbles at the attention and finishes off the fish, looking pleased.
HICCUP
(Sighing with disappointment)
Ah,
Toothless...
INT. STORAGE HOUSE -- DAY
Stoick
re-enters the food storage building and begins to collect the now emptied
baskets.
STOICK
Butcket!
Mulch! Man the boats! We need another catch!
Stoick
throws four baskets off screen. They fly into the arms of Bucket and
Mulch, each catching two.
MULCH
It's too late Stoick. It took us six months to catch all that fish.
Bucket and
Mulch set down the baskets. Stoick, who had moved off to collect more
materials, spins around to face them, annoyed.
STOICK
Don't
tell me it's too late! We've got to try!
MULCH
Of
course we do!
He laughs
weakly and reaches over with his hook to pull Bucket down by the beard.
MULCH
(to Bucket)
Uh,
don't tell the chief it's too late.
Mulch hits
Bucket on the helmet with his hook.
MULCH
You're
always so negative!
BUCKET
I
don't know what it is with me...
Stoick
leaves the storage building. He carries a barrel over one shoulder and
slings a basket over the other by a leather strap. Hiccup runs after him.
Gobber approaches along side Hiccup at a much slower pace.
HICCUP
Dad, please! You
gotta listen to me. I know dragons better than--
STOICK
Not
now, Hiccup.
Stoick
throws the barrel and basket into a wheelbarrow.
STOICK
I
have a village to feed. The dragons have done enough damage. By tonight, I want
every one of them caged. Understand?
Hiccup
takes a breath, looking like he's about to argue but Mildew shuffles in from
behind.
MILDEW
Bah!
You can't just cage these dragons! You need to send them away now!
Angry
vikings gather in the background. They show their agreement with Mildew with a
cacophony of angry shouts.
VIKING man #10
Stoick!
Mildew's right!
Viking Man #11
Get
'em out of here!
Stoick
holds up his hands, placating.
STOICK
You're
right, Mildew. You'll cage them tonight, and in the morning-
(apologetic to Hiccup)
-Hiccup
will send them off the island.
Hiccup
looks at his father, heartbroken. Toothless pads up behind Hiccup and nuzzles
his nose head under Hiccup's arm in a comforting gesture. Hiccup stares down at
his dragon, looking lost.
STOICK
I'm
sorry, son.
Stoick
turns and marches off screen. Hiccup watches his father leave, obviously upset.
He shares a concerned look with Toothless, who knows something is very
wrong.
int. great hall - night
We approach
the village as night arrives. Waves can be heard crashing against the crags of
the island. Cutting to the Great Hall,
where the teens poke at their dinner completely miserable about the day's
events and the night's fate.
SNOTLOUT
I
can't believe we have to send them away.
ASTRID
It's
gonna be weird.
Astrid
pulls the spoon she was stirring her porridge with from the bowl. The contents
mix and swirl before coming to a stop, where we can make out the likeness of a
Nadder in the food.
ASTRID
(dejected)
I
got used to seeing Stormfly's face being the first thing I see every morning.
FISHLEGS
(forlorn)
Every
night before I went to sleep, Meatlug would lick my feet.
Ruffnut and
Tuffnut share a look at Fishelegs' admission but neither choose to say anything.
Fishlegs
dramatically throws himself forward on the table.
FISHLEGS
Who's
gonna do that now?!
RUFFNUT
I
volunteer Tuffnut!
Ruffnut
nudges her brother, trying to be playful but Tuffnut doesn't rise to the bait.
He stares down at his crossed arms, obviously depressed over the
situation at hand.
TUFFNUT
Whatever.
What time should I be there?
ASTRID
Come
on, guys. Let's get this over with.
Astrid
stands from the table and walks off. Fishlegs follows her.
FISHLEGS
This
is the worst day of my life! We're never gonna see our dragons again!
The teens
weave through the tables as they leave the Great Hall. Hiccup separates
from the group and heads towards Toothless, who naps by the Great Hall's
central fire.
HICCUP
(determined)
We can't let
that happen!
Hiccup
kneels down by Toothless and begins to stroke his head reassuringly.
HICCUP
Toothless
is the best friend I've ever had.
Toothless
blinks his eyes open and purrs.
MILDEW (o.s)
(mocking)
Oh!
Toothless, I'm gonna miss you so much...
Hiccup and
Toothless get to their feet as Mildew approaches. Both look annoyed by the old
man's presence. Toothless growls but stays at bay.
MILDEW
You
know what your mistake was? Thinking dragons could be trained. A
dragon's gonna do what a dragon's gonna do. It's their nature.
Hiccup
stares at Mildew, steadfast.
MILDEW
And
nature always wins.
Mildew
walks away from Hiccup and Toothless having said his piece. He's very smug.
Hiccup
scowls after him while Toothless growls his sentiments.
Two vikings
enter the Great Hall, pushing both doors open. A heavy wind fills the
Hall and blows out the central fire encasing the hall with darkness.
Toothless shoots a plasma bolt into the pit and rekindles the flames.
VIKING woman #2
Oh!
Thank you, Toothless.
Hiccup
appears enlightened.
HICCUP
You
know what? Mildew is absolutely right!
(To Toothless)
Come
on, bud!
Hiccup runs
out of the Mead Hall with Toothless following.
ext. kill ring -- NIGHT
The teens
fly down towards the darkened arena, their silhouettes highlighted in the night
by the torches they carry.
They land
before the arena's gates. Both riders and dragons appear dispirited. The
teens bid their dragons farewell.
SNOTLOUT
Goodbye
Hookfang.
ASTRID
I'm
sorry Stormfly
She rests
her free hand on the Nadder's cheek, regretful
ASTRID
Now
go.
Astrid
gestures to the open arena gate with the torch she holds. Stormfly obeys,
dipping her head as she walks into the threshold. The other dragons follow.
Snotlout
makes a noise of pain.
SNOTLOUT
Mmgh.
Feels like big sharp teeth are tearing at this... thing inside my
chest.
ASTRID
(sadly)
That's
what it feels like when your heart is breaking.
SNOTLOUT
I
don't have a heart! I'm not a girl.
The gate
lowers slowly. The twins and Fishlegs look on in misery as the chains
clank in the background. In the torchlight, we see the dragons stare back
from the arena, mirroring the expressions on their riders' faces. The
shadow of the gate obscures our view of them as the it drops.
The teens
stand, side-by-side, helpless as their dragons are locked away. We close
up on Astrid, who sighs, defeated.
HICCUP (o.s)
Don't
close it!
Astrid
perks up.
In the full
moon of the night sky the silhouette of Toothless swoops in, swinging over the
teens heads and landing before the gate.
Hiccup
launches from the saddle and rushes to the gate lever. Using his entire body,
he forces the lever in reverse. The gate begins to rise.
HICCUP
We
are not locking them up.
ASTRID
What
happened? Did you change your
father's mind?
(suspicious)
Or
are we going behind his back again?
Hiccup
shifts guiltily as the dragons exit the arena.
HICCUP
(evasive)
Uh...
one of those.
(assertive)
Look.
The dragons are gonna do, what they're gonna do. It's their nature. We just
need to learn how to use it!
The other
teens look intrigued and hopeful.
ext. NORTH SEA - DAY
Bucket and
Mulch lean over the siding of a ship, hauling an empty net out of the sea.
MULCH
(disappointed)
Ah,
the nets are empty again.
Bucket
strokes his beard in contemplation.
BUCKET
Did
I eat them already? Did I enjoy it? Oop--am I being too negative?
Hiccup and
Snotlout hover above the ship on their dragons.
HICCUP
Snotlout!
Scare us up some dinner!
Hiccup
trust that Snotlout will follow his order and flies off screen. Hookfang and
Snotlout preform a straight dive into the sea.
Bucket
(Screaming upon seeing Hookfang)
Dragon
attack!
Hookfang
crashes into the sea just next to the ship. He circles the boat
underwater with Snotlout holding onto his horns. Together they scare the fish
into Mulch and Bucket's net.
When the
net is full, they burst from the sea and back into the sky.
SNOTLOUT
Woohoo!
MULCH
Hey!
Thanks dragon!
SNOTLOUT
That's
right! That just happened!
ext. Mildew's house - DAY
Hiccup,
Astrid and Fishlegs fly towards Mildew's home.
HICCUP
Come
on! Follow me!
We zoom in
on Mildew tilling his garden soil. Mildew looks up, dumbfounded, at the
approaching dragons.
MILDEW
Huh?
ASTRID
Afternoon,
Mildew!
Stormfly
glides over Mildew's fields, dragging her tail through the dirt and over
turning the soil. She leaves a groove in her wake.
Hiccup
follows on Toothless with an overturned bag of seed to fill in the groove.
Mildew
inhales the unsettled dusts and coughs. He's completely wrong-footed by
this unexpected turn of events.
HICCUP
Three
o'clock! Time for the fertilizer!
MILDEW
Eh?
Mildew
turns to his left to see a horde of dragons approaching. In the middle is
Fishlegs atop Meatlug.
FISHLEGS
Okay,
Meatlug. Let 'er rip!
Meatlug
makes a face of exertion.
Mildew
jumps as dragon droppings hail down on his garden.
Hiccup
observes his handiwork from a safe distance above, pleased.
HICCUP
Smile,
Mildew! We just saved you three months of work!
ext. Raven Point FOREST - DAY
Trees crash
down on one another as something hidden within their branches knocks them over.
A loud, but brief, explosion startles a yak off screen. A herd of
wild boar come screaming from the tree-line just as Ruffnut and Tuffnut on
their Zippleback break through after them.
Hiccup
flies in and fires a plasma bolt to scare the boars into veering right.
They continue to run away from the pursuing dragons straight into a
village barn, which Gobber waits beside. Gobber closes the barn doors as
soon as the boars are inside.
One by one,
the teens and their dragons land, excited after a successful execution of
Hiccup's plan.
FISHLEGS
Whoohoo!
That was awesome!
Astrid
looks to Hiccup, who is the last to settle on land.
ASTRID
(amazed)
How
did you know that was gonna work?
HICCUP
Because
they're dragons, and they're gonna do what dragons do.
Hiccup
dismounts from Toothless, who shakes his shoulders from bearing Hiccup's weight.
HICCUP
We
just have to work with them and not against them. You know who we should
actually be thanking--?
MILDEW (o.s)
There
they are, Stoick!
Hiccup's
face falls into annoyance. He turns to see Mildew and his father approaching.
MILDEW
Those
dragons don't look like they're in cages to me.
STOICK
(to Mildew)
No.
(to Hiccup)
This
is not what I asked for.
ext. Kill Ring - DAY
From a
bird's eye point of view, we see Gobber and Stoick approach the arena.
Villagers gather at the spectator stands. Everyone is interested in
the teens' fate.
The gate
lifts and Gobber and Stoick descend into the arena. We see the teens
standing in a line on the other side, their dragons caged behind them.
FISHLEGS
(fearful)
Oh
no! What's Stoick gonna do to us?
RUFFNUT
I'm
too pretty for jail!
TUFFNUT
Hah,
where'd you hear that?
Stoick
looms toward them. Gobber limbs at his side, looking menacing.
STOICK
you
all disobeyed me orders... and there will be consequences.
Astrid's
arms are crossed and she looks annoyed. She leans towards Hiccup.
ASTRID
(grumbling)
I told you
we were gonna get in trouble.
She rolls
her eyes. Her face falls into one of regret and she sighs.
ASTRID (continued)
(whispering)
Ugh, you never listen to me!
Hiccup
steps forward.
HICCUP
Dad,
if anyone's going to get in trouble it should be me.
STOICK
Nope.
You all had a hand in this.
Mildew
watches the event from outside the arena with the other villagers. He is smug.
MILDEW
Oh
this is going to be great, Fungus. It's about to get ugly.
Below,
Stoick paces in front of the teens. He paints an imposing figure.
STOICK
You
took over this place without asking. You released the dragons
against my wishes. Things are going to change around here.
That's why I--
Gobber pops
into screen, interrupting Stoick's speech.
GOBBER
You're
getting a dragon-training academy!
Mildew
leans back, shocked.
MILDEW
Wha--?
STOICK
(indignant)
Gobber! I wanted
to tell them!
The tension
in the teen's shoulders drops. Hiccup and Astrid look at each other, relieved.
GOBBER
I'm
sorry. You're right.
He bows his
head and gestures to the teens.
GOBBER
Go
ahead.
STOICK
(sill upset)
Well
you told most of it!
GOBBER
You
can tell him the part about how proud you are of him!
STOICK
Gobber!
Stoick
sighs and realizes there is no point in continuing to bicker. He clasps his
hands and turns to Hiccup.
STOICK
Hiccup--well--what
he said. You've all made me proud. This dragon-training academy is
for you all.
Stoick
walks to the gate lever and pulls it down. The doors swing open to reveal the
dragons, waiting patiently.
Snotlout
rushes forward forst.
SNOTLOUT
Hookfang!
My buddy!
Hookfang
catches Snotlout by the back of his vest and carries him off.
Astrid
meets Stormfly and throws her arms around her head.
ASTRID
Hey
Stormfly! I missed you so much!
Meatlug
barrels into Fishlegs and pushes him off screen.
FISHLEGS
Meatlug! Oh, who's daddy's little
baby? Oh, who's daddy's little fluffy...
Toothless
pads up to Hiccup more calmly than the other dragons.
HICCUP
Hey
bud!
Hiccup hugs
Toothless, cradling his head. Toothless closes his eyes, content.
Outside the
arena, Mildew knocks his fist against the arena's barrier and scowls down at
the happy reunion.
MILDEW
(grumbling)
Oh...
I'll get those dragons yet.
He stalks
off screen. Fungus watches him leave but doesn't immediately follow. He
shifts over to the spot Mildew previously occupied and resumes watching.
Back in the
arena, Stoick walks up behind Hiccup as Hiccup pulls away from his embrace with
Toothless.
STOICK
Now
all you have to do is train 'em.
HICCUP
Not a
problem dad. After all, I've got him.
He rub's
Toothless' snout with affection.
ASTRID (o.s)
ah-hem
The other
teens stand by their dragons. The twins each sit atop their preferred
Zippleback head and Hookfang still holds Snotlout in the air by his vest. All
of them stare at Hiccup expectantly.
HICCUP (o.s)
And...
them, too.
int. HICCUP'S ROOM - night
Hiccup puts
the finishing touches on a picture of the dragon trainers and their dragons.
Satisfied,
he looks up to his rafters, where Toothless watches on.
HICCUP (v.o)
Dragons
can't change who they are.
Toothless
leaps from the rafters down onto a slab of rock in Hiccup's room. He circles
the rock, bedding it with fire as he does so. He settles down onto the
warmth.
Hiccup
watches on fondly.
int. FISHLEG'S ROOM - NIGHT
Fishlegs
sleeps soundly. A low-burning candle a cup of water sit at his bedside.
HICCUP (v.o)
But
who would want them to?
Meatlug
licks Fishlegs' exposed feet.
int. ASTRID'S ROOM - day
Astrid's
room is dark. There's an axe under her pillow. She stirs slightly in her bed
just before light floods in along with a brisk squawk.
Astrid sits
up to see Stormfly's staring in at her from her window. She smiles and throws
off her covers.
ext. The Plaza - DAY
Astrid
flies with in a netful of fish clutched in Stormfly's talons. Fishlegs and
Meatlug join her carrying the same.
HICCUP (v.o)
Dragons
are powerful, amazing creatures.
They swing
down and drop their catch into a community unit as the village looks on.
Hiccup
flies in as well, overseeing their progress. From the ground, Stoick and Gobber
watch him. Pride is clear on Stoick's face.
EXT. KILL
RING - DAY
Snotlout
and Fishlegs, along with their dragons, lift the new academy sign over the
entrance. Hiccup and Astrid observe from a distance.
ASTRID
Berk
Dragon Academy. I like the sound of that.
She punches
Hiccup's shoulder and smiles. Hiccup rubs the area and smiles back.
ext. central berk - day
We follow
Hiccup and Toothless as they fly through the village.
HICCUP (v.o)
And
as long as it takes me I am going to learn everything there is to know about
them. Wouldn't you?
