This dare was suggested by ShadentheDragon. It was originally for Heather, but Batwings works just as well.
-.-.-.-.-.
It was another two weeks before Hiccup and the group were able to meet up in the Great Hall again. The incident known island-wide as the "Barnyard Blow-up" had kept every Viking up and on their feet for days on end. Needless to say, Stoick had almost blown a blood vessel when he discovered that Ruff and Tuff were behind it.
The sheer magnitude of the damage was mind-boggling. After Stoick led a squadron of dragons to herd the animals onto Thor's Beach – the huge cliffs would effectively prevent any animals from escaping – he had immediately set to work building a new barn while Mulch and Bucket took care of the animals. A team of Vikings, which included Ruff and Tuff, helped build the barn as well as new pens for the yaks and sheep.
Meanwhile, the village was also undergoing massive repairs. These included everything from rebuilding entire houses to sweeping chicken feathers off the shelves. There were also numerous injuries – at least one Viking had gotten an eye clawed out by a rogue turkey, and others had broken bones after being trampled by yaks. Mildew himself sported embarrassing wounds after an irate goat had rammed him. Goathi was working overtime.
None of the teens were sleeping through this. Instead, they and their dragons helped as best as they could. Fishlegs and Meatlug watched over the animals on Thor's Beach and made sure none of them managed to get out. Astrid and Stormfly assisted in nailing new shingles to roofs. Hiccup and Toothless flew from one end of the island to another, helping wherever they could.
Finally, enough of the village had been fixed so that everyone could basically get back to their normal lives.
When Hiccup ran into the Great Hall to meet his friends at their usual table, he found Astrid pinning Ruff to a wall while Batwings dangled Tuff from a rafter near the ceiling. Even Fishlegs looked mad.
"What. The Hel. Were you thinking?!" Astrid demanded, twisting Ruff's arm behind her back. The other girl tried to answer, but the only thing that came out of her mouth was a squeak of pain.
"Please don't blame her, Astrid," Heather protested. "I was the one that suggested it. If anyone should be blamed, it should be me."
"You weren't very specific about your dare," Fishlegs pointed out. "You also warned her to be smart about what they blew up. So it isn't your fault at all." Despite his assurances, the Siren still looked guilty.
"It was so worth it!" Tuff yelled as Batwings momentarily dropped him, then caught him again and flipped him upside-down. "You guys just don't know how to have fun." He stuck his tongue out at the others watching him from the floor.
"Is this really necessary?" Hiccup asked, trying to pry Astrid away from the girl twin. "Yes, actually," she replied, shaking him off.
"We only caused you guys a few weeks' worth of hard work!" Ruff squeaked. "Are you telling me you can't handle that?" She shut up when Astrid slammed her into the wall again.
Arachne kicked her in the shin. "We were working our butts off non-stop!" the ten-year-old said with a scowl. But before she could continue, Hiccup gently held her back.
"Please, guys," he said wearily. "Just let them go. They've already been punished, remember? They practically built the barn by themselves."
There was a long moment of silence. But finally, Astrid released her grip on Ruff, and Batwings slowly lowered Tuff to the ground, but ended up 'accidentally' dropping him while the male Thorston was still a couple of meters in the air. His helmet struck the floor with a loud *clang*.
"Now, to business. Who's getting dared next?" Snotlout asked, crossing his arms.
"Is it really smart to continue this?" Hiccup asked. "I think we should just call it off for the safety of the island."
Snaketail waved it off. "We'll be more careful from now on," she assured him nonchalantly. "And we haven't got to humiliate anyone in weeks! Come on, Ruffnut, pick someone to dare."
The long-haired blonde looked around at the group with bored, heavy-lidded eyes. It's not like any of the dares to come will be as awesome as the last one, she thought.
"I'm going to dare Batwings," she finally said. The Siren dropped to the ground and folded his wings with a sigh. "Please tell me you're not going to use me to burn something down," he said to her.
Ruffnut pouted. "Aw, that was what I was going to suggest," she protested, but gave in anyway. She figured he'd turn that suggestion down. But then, she brightened as she thought of something new.
"Alright then," Ruff said triumphantly. "I dare you to eat an eel."
Batwings scoffed. "Is that it?" he challenged. "You do know that we Sirens are one of the only dragons that eat eels regularly, right?"
Snotlout jumped in, eager to liven up the dare. "How about if the eel was still alive?" he asked, eyes glittering mischievously. "Is that enough for you?"
"Fine," Batwings conceded. "At least it wouldn't be as bad as drinking Astrid's yaknog." He gasped with pain as said girl crashed her fist into his shoulder.
Ruff ran off to find a live eel and came back about five minutes later with the slimy serpent thrashing in her hand. "One of the fishing boats had a few," she explained, rapidly handing the eel to Batwings. "Now eat up, it probably won't be alive for long judging from the way its gills are flapping."
Batwings swallowed thickly as he viewed the eel up close. It was a small one, about a foot long, but its snapping jaws were full of needle-sharp teeth. He really didn't want to think of what would happen if those punctured his esophagus on the way down – or if it didn't cooperate and went down the wrong pipe.
Finally, he decided that he'd have to eat it tail-first. Bracing himself, he closed his eyes and shoved its tail into his mouth.
"That's really disgusting," Snaketail commented, as Fishlegs covered his mouth and Hiccup looked away. Even Snotlout looked put off as they observed the squirming eel slid bit by bit into Batwings' mouth and down his throat.
Finally, the eel's head vanished, and Batwings swallowed one last time. He shuddered as he felt the serpent sliding into his stomach, thrashing all the while. "Ugh, you really don't want to experience this," he muttered, clutching his neck lightly.
But just then, he winced and held his belly. "Oh no," he croaked, turning a pasty green color. "What is it?" Heather asked worriedly, but at the same time asking herself if she really wanted to know.
Batwings winced again and doubled over, as if he was having a really bad cramp. "It's still thrashing in there!" he blurted, trying not to be sick.
Fishlegs paled at the thought and re-clamped his hands over his mouth. Ruff and Tuff snickered. Snotlout backed away, and Hiccup gulped and looked as if he were about to be sick himself.
"Need… fresh air…" Batwings mumbled, staggering to the door. Heather followed him, concerned for his health. For the second time in as many weeks, the two Sirens walked out, this time with their positions reversed.
"That has to be the most disgusting thing I've ever witnessed," Astrid muttered, wrapping her arm around Hiccup's shoulders as he breathed deeply through his mouth, trying to get rid of the nausea.
"Are you kidding? That was great," Ruff smirked. "We need more gruesome things like that to happen."
"Oh really?" Astrid asked scathingly. "Ever wonder what color your innards are? Because when Batwings gets better, he's going to rip you apart."
Ruffnut's eyes widened, and Tuff laughed. "I'd love to see that," he sneered, shoving his sister's helmet over his eyes.
Readjusting it, she replied, "Yeah, that would be so cool! I've always wanted to see my insides!"
"Well, prepare for them to become your outsides," Snaketail said warily, pointing to the door. Batwings and Heather were coming back in, with the former looking weak, but otherwise fine as he slowly advanced on the girl that had put him through so much pain and suffering.
-.-.-.-.-.
Uh oh. Ruffnut managed to get an angry dragon on her tail!
Poor Batwings, though. I almost threw up myself trying to imagine what it would be like to swallow a live eel. Or any live animal, really.
We have one last person to dare before the gang moves on to Round 2! Leave a review and dare suggestion, and see you then!
Next chapter: Batwings dares Arachne
