A Rewritten Family History

once again to all who have been reading this from the start and to those of you just joining me here welcome...I hope you are still enjoying this piece. Seasons are changing here in Duckburg and with this change comes a new friend who is a definitely real boy.

Summer was always a fun time for Huey, especially in the past few years since his cousin Dewey had moved back to Duckburg and this last one was no exception. Between Florida and Bulba and just having his family complete again it was one to remember for sure. Fall however was the tweens favorite season. Fall meant a new school year was beginning but more important it meant a new scouting season was here.

He had been counting down the weeks...the days...and this was it...the day he would finally reach the pinnacle of Woodchuck status by becoming a Senior Woodchuck. Okay sure, when he was sixteen he could become a troop leader in training but that was four long years away and he needed to just live in the moment.

Whistling a happy tune as he made his way into the kitchen he was surprised to see his mom dressed in her old Woodchuck uniform with a wide grin crossing her bill.

"Can you BELIEVE this still fits?" Della asked as she posed with her hands on her hips.

Looking toward his mother Huey couldn't help but smile as aside from a little tightness in her upper arm and the retroness of the uniform style he had to admit she looked good...well, for a mom.

"You know, I always knew in my gut that one of my boys would eventually become a Senior Woodchuck, though honestly I always thought for some reason it would be the one raised by Scrooge."

Huey couldn't help but let out a chuckle at that. Sure, it made sense as Scrooge was a world class adventurer while his dad was very much an introvert by nature and his Uncle Donald took to the water more than the woods.

"To Louie roughing it is staying in a motel without WiFi."

"When I was your age the internet was dialup and your Uncle Scrooge would always groan about clogging up the phone line for that infernal innovation and god I'm old."

Huey watched as his mother picked up a pan from the stove and began to examine her reflection trying to decipher if at the age of 36 any noticeable wrinkles were beginning to show.

"You're not old, it's technology that's advancing at an exhilarated rate."

"Ummm hmmm," Della simply muttered, placing the pan down. "So, are you ready to start the first day of the rest of your life."

Huey nodded his head. Sure, he was a bit nervous about the added responsibilities that being a Senior Woodchuck would entail but he was ready to be the best leader and role model he could be.

"Do you need a ride or is Launchpad coming to get you?"

"Actually, I think I'm going to take my bike."

"Celebration later tonight?" his mother asked as she gave him a nod, "Pizza, any toppings you want."

"Sounds like a perfect end to a perfect day."

After briefly wrapping his arms around his mother in an embrace that even months later felt just as natural as it did surreal, Huey made his way toward the garage to grab his bike and soon was on his way toward the park where the Woodchuck meetings were held.

Having a pick of any toppings you wanted on a pizza was a big deal and not something to be taken lightly. Maybe he'd get mushrooms or onions or perhaps something more polarizing like pineapple or anchovies even though his mother had feelings toward fish or….

His thoughts on potential toppings however soon faded as he spotted a familiar purple feathered figure rounding a corner ahead of him and was she...no...no...PLEASE NO!

Last Fall:

Huey sat down in his algebra class brimming with pride. He was already the youngest student in his grade to begin with however this class was mostly filled with students two levels above him. He'd be taking advanced placement college level classes before long and he simply couldn't wait.

As he organized his notebook and pencils neatly on his desk waiting for the teacher to enter he couldn't help but listen to the sporadic mumbles of 'nerd' that surrounded him. He was used to it by now and it was nothing but white noise as one day he'd be changing the world while statistically half his peers would have already reached their peak.

"Class," the teacher's voice spoke as she entered the room with a petite hummingbird, "We have a new student with us transferring here from Spoonerville. This is Violet Sabrewing. Violet why don't you take the empty seat next to Huey over there, he's an underclassman much like yourself."

Huey watched as the teacher pointed and the young girl sat beside him. Turning toward her he flashed a smile. With her dark curls and her smattering of freckles she was kind of cute, well that was if he were into girls more than he was into his scholastic endeavors which he most certainly was not. With this girl being an underclassman he instantly deemed her as competition and so he decided to make the first move and introduce himself to her.

"Hello, I'm."

"Hubert Gearloose."

He couldn't help but grin, did his reputation precede him? However before he could say something the girl seemed to read his mind by pointing toward him.

"It's on your student ID."

Looking at the ID tag pinned to his blazer Huey couldn't help but let a slight chuckle escape him.

"So you're from Spoonerville? My uncle went to university there and has some friends that still reside there. You wouldn't happen to know the Goofs would you?"

"They were my neighbors actually, Max was the best babysitter, not that I actually needed one."

"Parents am I right?" He asked clearly trying to break the ice while thinking about how she had lived so close to a family friend and yet their paths had only just crossed paths in the moment. However while he was breaking ice she was giving him a cold and unfeeling look as it was clear she was not here for making friends of her own.

"So, the teacher says you're an underclassman?" Violet said shifting the subject caused Huey to nod with pride at his scholastic status.

"Yes Seventh Grade and you?"

"Same. You look kind of young too. I'm only eleven, I skipped the third grade."

He could tell she was proud of her own accolades by the tone in her voice. While definitely impressed, Huey however couldn't help it but to reply back.

"I'm eleven as well, though I didn't skip a grade. My father is an actual genius and decided to enroll me in school a year early."

Huey watched as Violet continued to look him up and down as if to size up the competition which honestly wasn't a bad idea as he could sense in that brief moment before their teacher began her lesson that they would be butting heads for better or worse.

Okay, sure in the last six months there had been a change in the air and if anyone would ask he would gladly admit that Violet Apollonia Saberwing was one of his nearest and dearest friends, heck outside of his family she was his only one that was age appropriate but being a Woodchuck was his raison d'etre

"Looks Like No Toppings For Me," Huey thought to himself as he wheeled his bike toward the bike rack flashing a sliver of a smile toward the young girl.

"Stalking me Vi?" He asked with a playful smirk crossing his bill as she shook her head.

"I believe I arrived here at the park first Hubert so if anyone here is a stalker that would be you."

"What I meant was...did you sign up to be a Woodchuck because you knew I was one?"

Huey couldn't help but listen to the hummingbird chuckle as she opened her backpack pulling out a sash that held an impressive number of merit badges...a number that looked like it could even rival his own not that he was in the mood to count.

"Being a Woodchuck is more than attending meetings and going on group campouts, it's about character and serving the community which is why I never got around to joining a new troop until now."

"And what makes now so special?" Huey asked as he crossed his arms over his chest .

"Well actually, I've earned enough badges and service hours to be promoted to Senior Woodchuck this year but I needed to join an actual troop to make it official."

"Well ACTUALLY," Huey replied back, "Launchpad told me that I would be promoted to Senior Woodchuck this year."

His words seemed to offend her as she began to glare at him….if looks could kill surely he'd be dead or at least severely injured in the moment however all around them their fellow Woodchucks were heading in for the meeting and soon Launchpad approached the duo placing a strong hand on each of their shoulders.

Huey watched as Launchpad's pensive gaze looked from one camper to the other and back again.

"So you both want to be Senior Woodchucks huh?"

"Yes!" Both tweens said in unison.

"You promised me Launchpad...I was a shoe in, that's what you said."

"I'm pretty sure I have more community service hours as while Huebert was off galavanting with his Uncle on adventures this summer I was reading to the elderly and feeding the homeless."

Huey could tell Launchpad was nervous as his eyes watched in the way that he and Violet were having at it.

"Here's the thing," Launchpad said, it doesn't need to be a competition.

"Technically it does," Violet spoke.

"She's right," Huey replied, reaching into his satchel, pulling out his guidebook instantly knowing just what page to open as he memorized the text cover to cover, "The Challenge for Senior Woodchuck."

"As Troop Leader I have the power to veto the need of a challenge if I feel that both candidates show exemplary character whatever that means."

Huey raised his brow at Launchpad's words. Where did it say this in the guidebook? He didn't remember any fine print. Though he did suppose the Troop Leader edition had some extra addendums that he'd love to wrap his brain around sometime.

"And what does this veto entail?" Huey asked, raising a brow knowing that he was willing to do whatever it took to become a Senior Woodchuck.

"Just the fact that both of you are officially Senior Woodchucks, congratulations." The duo listened to Launchpad speak as he placed his hands in his pocket pulling out a pair of badges and handing them to the kids.

"Shouldn't you be doing this at the meeting?" Violet asked.

"Probably," Launchpad started with a shrug as they made their way toward where all the other campers were already mixing and mingling. "But I didn't want to wait because there is one more thing that I was hoping the two of you would be up for."

At the tone of Launchpad's voice, Huey couldn't help but let his bill curl into a wide grin.

"You were also able to veto having to be sixteen to be a Leader in Training?" Huey exclaimed, "You know I'm all for being a stickler for the rules but for this I'd gladly make an exception."

Huey watched as Launchpad shrugged back his shoulders.

"Not exactly, we have a new camper joining our troop and I thought that you could help show him the ropes?"

Huey's eyes couldn't help but light up at the new responsibility that Launchpad was about to thrust upon him...and Violet, he guessed.

"Like a mentorship?"

Huey watched as Launchpad flashed him a confused gaze before turning to wave over another person who had to be the camper in question. A few moments later a young African Grey Parrot who looked to be around ten came into the duo's focus. The young bird turned his gaze toward Huey then to Violet then Launchpad and then back once more toward Huey before taking a few steps toward the older boy holding out his hand.

"Hi, I'm Boyd," the parrot spoke with an eagerness in his chirp, "A Definitely Real Boy."

While that last part of his introduction threw him off for a nanosecond, Huey didn't think much of it as he held out his hand.

"Hi, I'm Huey and this is Violet."

"I can tell we're going to be great friends," Boyd spoke as he looked between the two tweens causing Huey to nod his head back as there was definitely some connection between them he just didn't realize yet how strong that would be.