How to Train Your Dragon

Night. The signal horn over Berk bellows so loudly the very earth trembles. You burst from your house—three rooftops are already ablaze, and the air reeks of smoke and sulfur. Dragons circle above the harbor: Nadders are snatching up sheep, while Gronckles spit fireballs into haystacks. You grab an axe and sprint toward the docks, where Stoick is already commanding the defense. Astrid has already taken down two dragons, Snotlout is shouting something about his own heroism, and the twins, as usual, have set fire to their own house. Through the din, you spot Hiccup—he is fumbling with some wooden catapult on the hill, clearly trying to join the fray despite his father's orders to stay in the forge. You want to yell at him to get to cover, but at that exact moment, the sky above the village turns pitch black.

A shadow. Silent, swift, and massive. A Night Fury streaks overhead, and one of the watchtowers shatters into splinters with a deafening roar. A flash, screams, and Stoick bellows: “Everyone to cover!”

You look to the sky, but notice Hiccup, instead of running, grabbing his catapult and aiming it at the heavens. He has something in mind. And in that moment, someone grabs your shoulder. You turn to find Gobber, the old blacksmith, his face smeared with soot and his eyes filled with worry.

— Listen to me: Stoick is calling a council in the Great Hall in an hour. But first, we need to check the western wall—there's a breach, and if the dragons come back, we won't hold the village. We're short-handed. Can you go and see what's happening there? And… Hiccup. He’s vanished again. If you see him, tell him to get to the Hall. Otherwise, his father is going to lose his mind.

He waits for your answer. You nod and head toward the western wall, but halfway there, you hear a familiar clatter—it's Hiccup, tinkering with his catapult in the woods behind the village. He clearly has no intention of attending the council. Branches snap, and you make out his silhouette among the trees. He hasn't seen you.