section_path: Plot
section_name: Plot
paragraph_text: Plot
  
  Dragons frequently attack the Viking village of Berk, stealing livestock and endangering villagers. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, the 16-year-old son of chieftain Stoick the Vast, is apprenticed to the local blacksmith Gobber, and attempts to create mechanical devices to overcome his physical weaknesses. During a dragon raid, Hiccup shoots down a rare dragon called a Night Fury with a bolas launcher, but is disbelieved. Vowing to prove himself, Hiccup searches for the dragon to kill it. Upon seeing the dragon helpless and wounded, he compassionately releases him. To Hiccup's surprise, the angered dragon spares his life.
  
  Meanwhile, Stoick rallies his fleet to destroy the dragons' nest. Before leaving, Stoick heeds Gobber's advice and enrolls Hiccup in a dragon-fighting class with other local teens: Fishlegs, Snotlout, twins Ruffnut and Tuffnut, and Hiccup's crush, Astrid. Hiccup is mocked by his peers and struggles in class. Returning to the forest, he finds the Night Fury trapped in a cove, unable to fly because Hiccup's bolas severed half of his tail fin. Hiccup befriends the dragon, naming him "Toothless" for his retractable teeth; he builds a harness, saddle, and prosthetic fin, allowing Toothless to fly with Hiccup riding on his back to guide him. Hiccup also learns about dragon behavior from Toothless, which allows him to subdue the captive training dragons, impressing the villagers and arousing Astrid's suspicions.
  
  Meanwhile, Stoick's fleet is damaged while searching for the nest, and returns to Berk. Upon learning he must kill a dragon for his final exam, Hiccup attempts to flee with Toothless, but Astrid discovers them. Hiccup takes her on a flight to show her Toothless' friendliness. During the flight, Toothless is drawn to a dragon's nest, where a massive Kaiju -sized dragon, the Red Death, commands smaller dragons to feed it to avoid being eaten themselves. Realizing the dragons attack Berk for survival, Astrid wants to inform the villagers, but Hiccup advises against it to protect Toothless.
  
  In his final exam, Hiccup faces a captive Monstrous Nightmare dragon. Rather than killing it, he attempts to publicly prove dragons can be peaceful, but Stoick inadvertently enrages the Monstrous Nightmare, causing Toothless to emerge from hiding to protect Hiccup. Stoick captures Toothless and disowns Hiccup after discovering the truth. Stoick's fleet uses Toothless to guide him to the nest despite Hiccup's warnings. After reminding a distraught Hiccup he spared Toothless out of sympathy, not cowardice, Astrid has Hiccup rally the other teens to tame the training dragons. Together, they pursue Stoick's fleet to the nest.
  
  Stoick's Vikings locate and break open the nest, but the Red Death awakens and overpowers them. The dragon riders arrive to distract the Red Death while Hiccup attempts to free Toothless from a sinking ship. Stoick rescues both Hiccup and Toothless from drowning and reconciles with his son. Hiccup and Toothless lure the Red Death into the air, damage its wing membranes, and set its insides alight, causing it to crash and explode. The dying Red Death's tail hits Hiccup before he falls into the explosion's fireball. Although Toothless rescues him, Hiccup loses his left foot.
  
  With the Red Death's threat neutralized, the Berk villagers co-exist peacefully with the dragons. Gobber replaces Hiccup and Toothless' missing limb with prostheses. Hiccup, now admired by his fellow villagers, begins a relationship with Astrid.
  
  Dragons frequently attack the Viking village of Berk, stealing livestock and endangering villagers. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, the 16-year-old son of chieftain Stoick the Vast, is apprenticed to the local blacksmith Gobber, and attempts to create mechanical devices to overcome his physical weaknesses. During a dragon raid, Hiccup shoots down a rare dragon called a Night Fury with a bolas launcher, but is disbelieved. Vowing to prove himself, Hiccup searches for the dragon to kill it. Upon seeing the dragon helpless and wounded, he compassionately releases him. To Hiccup's surprise, the angered dragon spares his life.
  
  Meanwhile, Stoick rallies his fleet to destroy the dragons' nest. Before leaving, Stoick heeds Gobber's advice and enrolls Hiccup in a dragon-fighting class with other local teens: Fishlegs, Snotlout, twins Ruffnut and Tuffnut, and Hiccup's crush, Astrid. Hiccup is mocked by his peers and struggles in class. Returning to the forest, he finds the Night Fury trapped in a cove, unable to fly because Hiccup's bolas severed half of his tail fin. Hiccup befriends the dragon, naming him "Toothless" for his retractable teeth; he builds a harness, saddle, and prosthetic fin, allowing Toothless to fly with Hiccup riding on his back to guide him. Hiccup also learns about dragon behavior from Toothless, which allows him to subdue the captive training dragons, impressing the villagers and arousing Astrid's suspicions.
  
  Meanwhile, Stoick's fleet is damaged while searching for the nest, and returns to Berk. Upon learning he must kill a dragon for his final exam, Hiccup attempts to flee with Toothless, but Astrid discovers them. Hiccup takes her on a flight to show her Toothless' friendliness. During the flight, Toothless is drawn to a dragon's nest, where a massive Kaiju -sized dragon, the Red Death, commands smaller dragons to feed it to avoid being eaten themselves. Realizing the dragons attack Berk for survival, Astrid wants to inform the villagers, but Hiccup advises against it to protect Toothless.
  
  In his final exam, Hiccup faces a captive Monstrous Nightmare dragon. Rather than killing it, he attempts to publicly prove dragons can be peaceful, but Stoick inadvertently enrages the Monstrous Nightmare, causing Toothless to emerge from hiding to protect Hiccup. Stoick captures Toothless and disowns Hiccup after discovering the truth. Stoick's fleet uses Toothless to guide him to the nest despite Hiccup's warnings. After reminding a distraught Hiccup he spared Toothless out of sympathy, not cowardice, Astrid has Hiccup rally the other teens to tame the training dragons. Together, they pursue Stoick's fleet to the nest.
  
  Stoick's Vikings locate and break open the nest, but the Red Death awakens and overpowers them. The dragon riders arrive to distract the Red Death while Hiccup attempts to free Toothless from a sinking ship. Stoick rescues both Hiccup and Toothless from drowning and reconciles with his son. Hiccup and Toothless lure the Red Death into the air, damage its wing membranes, and set its insides alight, causing it to crash and explode. The dying Red Death's tail hits Hiccup before he falls into the explosion's fireball. Although Toothless rescues him, Hiccup loses his left foot.
  
  With the Red Death's threat neutralized, the Berk villagers co-exist peacefully with the dragons. Gobber replaces Hiccup and Toothless' missing limb with prostheses. Hiccup, now admired by his fellow villagers, begins a relationship with Astrid.