☽𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍☾
𝐇𝐈𝐂𝐂𝐔𝐏'𝐒 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐍

∽✍︎∽

A dark and stormy night. A loud, fussy crowd sounds from inside the Great Hall. Inside, All of Berk's Vikings are gathered. Hiccup stands before them at the head table, with Toothless safely by his side. "Alright, alright, everybody! Settle down, please!" he says, and they turn to Fishlegs. "Fishlegs, have you ever seen that species of the dragon before?" Fishlegs is slumped at a table. He sits up, raises his finger in the air to speak, then falls over, passing out again. "I'll give him a piece of my mind! And by mind, I mean fists," a Viking calls and punches OUT the Viking next to him. The crowd ROARS in agreement. "Did you miss the part where we almost died? Have you seen my house?" Hiccup calls and the group calms down. Hiccup sighs deeply. "This is a new kind of enemy. And I underestimated him. Now that's on me. But I will not do that again. " he says; then Snoutlout stands up and shouts, "We're Vikings! We don't run from a fight. At least I don't." he then points accusingly to Eret. "You might. "

Eret throws him a baffled glare but then turns to Hiccup, saying, "I agree with Hiccup. We haven't seen the last of Grimmel. He's a predator. Single-minded and patient. He won't stop until he gets what he wants" Vlaka stands up a little, agreeing with the huntsman. "I'm with Eret. We have to take this threat seriously." She nods to Eret. behind the two, Snoutlout is fuming. "Grimmel is just a sign of the times. Our enemies are getting smarter and more determined. We're not just overcrowded; we're exposed and vulnerable." Hiccup says, then pauses, looking over the crowd of Vikings. "Short of full-blown war and risking everyone we love, I don't... I don't see a way of staying here any longer." Indignant protest sounds out from the agitated crowd. Astridsinks her ax into the table, silencing them. "Hey! Hear him out," she calls and sits down, giving Hiccup an encouraging nod. He grins, appreciative of the support.

"If we want to live in peace with our dragons, we need a better plan," he says, and Gobber turns to him. "So, what are you saying, Chief?" Hiccup looks out over his people, taking a breath. "I'm saying we have to disappear, off the map. Take the dragons to a place where no one will find them." a Viking calls out, brushing the chief's words off. "And where might that be" Astrid answers him. "He's talking about a quest for a hidden World," a woman exclaims from somewhere in the crowd. "The hidden what?" Ruffnut cackles. " Out to lunch." Hiccup starts talking again. "My father was obsessed with it when I was a boy. He made notes and maps in search of the ancestral home of all dragons, tucked away somewhere beyond the edge of the world. It may be the solution we need. " he pauses. "We're dragon people. It's where we belong." Fussy MURMUR builds anew. Hiccup takes in the glum, disapproving faces. '

"Look, I know this is our home. My father left me to protect it." Hiccup starts. "But Berk is more than this place." a pause from him emits. "We are Berk. The people, the dragons. I say Berk is wherever we go." he ends. Silence. Suddenly, Tuffnut throws up his fists. "I'm with him! Who else?!"

∽♦︎∽

The entire Berkian flock of dragons cruises through aglorious cloudscape of towering cumulous skyscrapers, haulingtheir riders and everything they can carry -- including a whole Viking ship loaded with supplies and one loaded withsheep, dressed in dragon costumes. One of the exchanges an edgy look with a passing Monstrous Nightmare. Hiccup is at the head of the pack. A flurry of dragons andriders follow him into the distance, over miles of endlesssea, toward a late, setting sun. The horizon is gleaming andbright, filled with promise. The crowd of dragons and their riders are parted by Fishlegs,who uncomfortably makes his way through the group with thescreaming baby Gronckle on his back. "Ah, excuse me, coming through...letme get right through here.Fishmeat look! Eat your rocks, eatyour rocks!" Fishlegs calls. 

"Gods! People who fly with babiesare the worst," snoutlot compløains and Fishmeat burps up a slug of molten lava, barely missingSnotlout's head. Gobber pushes through the front line of the formation, pastValka and Astrid, toward Hiccup. He eyes the horizon, thenturns to Hiccup. "I feel like I'm always asking youthis question, but -" he says, but suddenly he starts to dip below the frame. "WHOA! Wake up, Grump! Wake up! Isthere an actual plan or--" he said, and as he actually came in level with Hiccup, smiled and said simply "-- just keep flying until we reachthe end of the world?" Gobber eyes the horizon again, grimacing. "Ah. Seems... sensible."

Back at berk, a massive armada is gathered offshore. Berk is lain wholly deserted. Sign of a hasty departure everywhere. Grimmel sits at the base of the Stoick statue, munching anapple skewered from the tip of his dagger. A map is spreadout at his feet. He ponders it, casually chewing. His Deathgrippers hiss and gather as the warlords approach,mounting the steps they take in the abandoned village.Below, their soldiers spread out, searching the buildings. "So? Where are they?" Khan, one of the warlords, calls to the older dragon killer. Grimmel holds up his hands, gesturing to the surroundings. "Gone." Griselda then speaks up, surprised and beyond angry. "The Night Fury escaped you? Again?" Grimmel smiles. Takes another bite from the apple. "I encouraged it! They've abandonedtheir only defensible position." The flock of dragons continues flying toward the horizon as  Grimmel's voice-over comes through. 

"Running scared, with what littlethey can carry." Snotlout pulls up on the other side of them, stretched out onHookfang like he's riding a Harley. "Ugh! It just keeps going," he complains. "That's 'cause the world is round," Tuffnut explains, and Hiccup sighs, exasperated. Astrid and Valka giggle. "The Sun's round. The Moon's round.Stars are round. Even thoughthey're small and stupid." the twin continues his sister chucking. "Right? Stars." back in berk, Grimmel continues to pace, soothing the restless warlords. "Don't fret. They won't get far. TheNight Fury is distracted. Iintroduced him to your female." he says and sticks his apple core on one of the Deathgripper's tusks. in the open skies with Hiccup and his friends, Toothless' ear plates perk up. "Dragons mate for life, you see." Toothless looks around, curious, tilting his scales like antennae. "Whatcha picking up on, Bud?" Hiccup asks. 

Toothless babbles back, perplexed, narrowing his eyes, looking to the cloudsabove. Hiccup and the Gang follow hisstare. Above in the distance, a shape pierces a cloud, pulling awispy trail in its wake—a gleaming, warbling, mirror-likeform darts between the rounded formations, reflecting thegolden cloudscape. Aniridescent sapphire dragon materializes out of thin air as it cruises through the sky.Toothless exclaims excitedly. "The sapphire dragon!" Astrid yells, smiling. "She's following us!" Valka calls. You blast a fireball ahead of you and flythrough it, pulling a comet trail of flame and smoke. When itdissipates, you're gone, having vanished anew. The crowd "OOHs" and "AWWs," slack-jawed faces are grinning inamazement.

"Would you look at that?" Gobber says, and tuffnut calls out, "Where'd she go? Is she made of the sky?" Elated, Toothless jackknifes upward, giving chase and calling out to you. "Whoa! Hold up, Toothless!" Hiccup calls. The sapphire dragon's warbling shape proves hard to track as hercloaking ability renders her nearly invisible. Toothlesszigzags through the air, leaving the flock far below,determined not to lose her again. Finally, you puncture a towering cumulous and explode out of thetop, corkscrewing through the air and pulling wisps. You rematerialize at the top of your arc, suspended weightless inthe air—toothless gurgles, enamored. "Well, look who it is!" the sapphire dragon snarls, suddenly dive-bombs them. Hiccup's smile fadesas you close in. the sapphire dragon swoops in and attacks Hiccup. 

"Uhh-- AGGH!" he starts but gets cut off as BAM! He's snatched out of the air. you flap off with Hiccupflailing in your clutches... "Oh hey, it's nice to finally-- AAGHH!" hiccup begins, and in one dismissive gesture, the sapphire hurls him out like thetrash. Hiccup tumbles head over feet, plunging toward thesea. You turn back to Toothless, gurgling with agaping, self-satisfied smile: "There! You're free." Toothless looks toward Hiccup, now a plummeting speck. Heturns back to the sapphire dragon, offers a forced smile: "Thanks,but, uh..." and dives to Hiccup's rescue, his locked tailencumbering his usual grace. You watch, confused and a little insulted. Hiccup plunges past the flock, grimacing in humiliation. "This is perfect. So great." Snoutlot calls grinning. 

Toothless dives after him, collecting him back in the saddle.He preempts their snarky comments. "Not a word," he says, and The group snickers. Then, they are back into the sky, rejoining the flock, as Toothlesssearches for any sign of the sapphire dragon. But, alas, you're gone—toothless moans, crestfallen. 

∽✍︎∽