HTTYD Watches The Future (Movie, Shows, Etc.)

Chapter 6 Switching Sides

EXT. HIGH SEAS – DAWN A painted DRAGON, with a sword run through it. It's the billowing sail of Stoick's ship. Stoick hovers over the familiar nautical map - his eyes on the uncharted corner, swirling in mist and illustrations of dragons.

STOICK "I can almost smell them. They're close. Steady."

"Do I smell?" "We don't smell." "What is he talking about?" The dragons were talking among themselves.

Stoick raises his gaze to... AN EPIC FOG BANK, towering from sky to sea like a bruised, daunting curtain, beyond which nothing is visible. The three ships drift alongside it, skirting its solid edge, looking for an opening. ON DECK the crewmen mill nervously, all too aware of what Stoick is considering.

"That looks terrifying." Fishlegs stated and the other teens agreed. It looked way worse than the adults described.

"How do you even know where to go?" Heather asked. When she received no answer she guessed they actually didn't know where to go and simply winged it.

STOICK (CONT'D) "Take us in."

The helmsman steers Stoick's ship into the fog. The men draw their weapons, prepping for the worst.

VIKING "Hard to port... for Helheim's gate."

"A very appropriate name." Viggo said. That fog and whatever hid behind it was like something straight from Helheim.

The first ship disappears into the whiteout, followed by the other two. A BEAT Suddenly a flash of light. A silhouette of a dragon. Hollers. Sounds of splitting and shattering wood. Plunges into the water. Another bright flash.

Hiccup dropped his head into his hands. Just how many of them had died on that expedition? And how many of those who did perish were only there because they didn't want to stay back on Berk with him?

"It's not your fault." Astrid assured him. The other teens did too, Heather included.

"They're only there because they didn't want to be on Berk with me." Hiccup tried to argue, but his dragon companion wouldn't have it.

"Yeah, well they made that choice, you didn't force them to do it." Hiccup knew Toothless was right, but knowing some people chose to die rather than stay with him would still haunt him.

MATCH CUT TO: EXT. TRAINING GROUNDS - RING – DAY CLOSE ON a DRAGON painted onto a shield. Hiccup runs his finger over its outline.

HICCUP "You know, I just happened to notice the book had nothing on Night Furies. Is there another book? Or a sequel? Maybe a little Night Fury pamphlet."

"Should you not be focusing more on trying to stay alive?" Atali asked. She was getting quite concerned about Hiccup. She strongly believed he could change his tribe's minds about dragons, but he had to stay alive to do that.

"I needed to know more, okay? What else was I supposed to do?" Hiccup asked. He probably should have paid more attention to the lesson, but it's not like he wanted to learn how to kill dragons.

"Maybe wait until the lesson was over and then ask?" Snotlout actually said something that made sense for once.

"But then it would have looked suspicious." Hiccup argued.

"I do not mean to offend you, but I doubt they would have questioned you." Mala really did not mean any offense with that, but it didn't lessen the blow. It was true, no one would have questioned him. The village would just think it was another one of his weird questions or ideas.