Can an Essentials Sentinel move when their animal companion charges?

Question

In last weeks game, I needed to move both my Essentials Sentinel Druid and his animal companion as far as they could go. I used his move action to move them and then used his standard action as a move action to move them again. They both ended up in melee range of an enemy.

What I'm not sure about is whether it would have been possible for me to use his standard action as a charge and for them both to end up in the same position, but with one of them able to make an attack.

If I moved them both and then the Sentinel charged, would I have been able to move the animal companion when he moved, since he wasn't actually taking a move action? This seems unlikely, and even if it were possible, the Sentinels useless basic attack would probably have been ineffective.

Alternatively, if I moved them both and then instructed the animal companion to charge, would I have been able to move the Sentinel? This seems even less likely and would have been a far more effective attack.

Either way, the risk of not being in the correct position next round was much greater than the opportunity for a single charge attack.

Answers I've read elsewhere suggest that it isn't the move action that's important, but the action of moving, but I can't find any support for that in the RAW, so any help would be appreciated. I have a very flexible and understanding GM, but even so, I don't want to risk invoking rule 7.

Note: Although we started the campaign as Essentials characters, we have subsequently added standard elements (my Sentinel is now a multi-class shaman, so also has a Spirit companion for instance), so references to both essentials and core books are likely to be useful.

Answer 1

NO

The rules compendium for Druid Sentinels clearly specifies the results of taking actions for the animal companion:

Move Actions: Whenever you take a move action, your animal companion can also take a move action. Alternatively, you can stay put but take a move action to command your animal companion to take a move action.

(note that this comes right beside standard, minor, and free actions, clearly discussing action types.)

In this case, the rules for moving your companion when you also move clearly specify move actions and not merely moves.

Charge says "you move your speed" then attack rather than "you take a move action" then attack. Only the latter case would allow you to move your companion, but I'm not aware of any powers that are worded to give a move action rather than a specific kind of movement.

Also, there is no reverse for the companion move action rule; if another player granted your companion a move action, it would not reciprocate and also grant the Druid a move action. So even if a charge on the Druid did let you move your companion, a charge on the companion wouldn't let you move the Druid!