Riverpaw frowned as she set the collars and leashes aside, then she reached out and put her hands on Charlie's arms, squeezing gently. "Well, you're not alone here. If- if you ever need to, you can always call me and we can hang out. You can come by to play with my buddies, too." She smiled brightly, probably brighter than she had in a while. She wasn't very brave or confident in her abilities, but if there was one thing she could do well enough, it was reassuring others that she'd have their backs even if she barely knew them.
Charlie startled a little when her arms were grabbed. She smiled a little bit at the other, leaning forward and wrapping the other into a hug. She didn't know why, but she started crying. It was a happy cry, and she held onto the other. "Thank you so much." She whispers. "That means a lot to me." She slowly let's River go before wiping away her tears and taking a deep breath. "Ready to go?" She asks softly.
The hug startled her, but she was pleased nonetheless. She smiled and rubbed Charlie's arms a little when she pulled away, then picked up the collars. "Yeah." She patted her leg so Tsunami would come to her, then knelt to give her the usual instruction of gathering the other dogs. The husky rushed off, and Riverpaw let out a quiet gasp. "Oh! So, uh, there's a bit of a system to it, if I may explain."
The hug had been nice. She had liked it. Hugs were such a rarity for her now that she thought about it. Charlie watched quietly as she interacted with the dogs and smiled a little bit. "Oh, please do. I'm really interested." She says brightly as she watches the husky wander off to get the other dogs. "I really wanna know." She says excitedly, her eyes darting back to Riverpaw.
"Well, I've had Tsunami longest, but Kane is the oldest and, honestly, the most responsible." She said as Tsunami returned with Pepper and Noble; Kane was already waiting nearby with his brother. She handed Noble and Kane's collars to Charlie, then continued as she knelt to start with Tsunami. "So, since he's the leader - the "Alpha", if you will - he walks in front of the group. Tsunami and Kilo walk behind him, and Noble and Pepper bring up the rear next to me. Now, even with help, Pepper's temper and Kilo's energy typically make dealing with all five of them…a little difficult." She struggled a bit with Pepper and her collar, but was ultimately successful before moving onto the rather excited terrier. "Tsunami refuses to be walked by anyone other than me, so I've got her; do you want to take two or three of the others?"
Charlie smiled softly as she listened, her eyes soft as she looks over the dogs. She hummed quietly and nods at her words. "Makes sense." She laughs quietly before nodding. "Yeah, of course I can help! Which one's do you want me to take?" She asks curiously as she glances over the dogs and leaned down so they could sniff her. She loved all the animals that River had adopted. They were all so precious.
"Since it's your first walk with us, I think you should take Noble and Pepper." She said, standing once she'd put on Kilo's collar and leash. She also clipped leashes onto Tsunami and Pepper. "Noble is like a big brother to pepper; he's the only who can easily rein her in, so he can be your little helper if she gets rowdy."
She chuckles softly. "Probably shouldn't bite more than I can chew." She laughed a little bit and follows after the other. "I'm not to worried. I've got a pretty strong grip." She hummed happily, definitely in a better mood then she was on the porch. She looked rather content really.
"It's not the grip you need to worry about." She giggled, looking down at the Bichon Frise. "She tends to jump on things she feels might be a threat, which is pretty much anyone or anything that isn't Noble or, on occasion, me. You need to make sure she keeps her distance from people and other dogs when we get to the park." She went to put the last collars and leashes on Kane and Noble.
Charlie nods and smiles a bit, leaning down to gently pat Noble and Pepper lovingly. She hummed and stood slowly before gripping the leash. "Will do. I'll do my best." She smiled at River, "Anything else I should know?" She asks curiously.
"Not that I can think of. Everything else is normal dog walking etiquette." Riverpaw went to get a bag of dog treats from the kitchen and a handful of waste bags from a living room cabinet. She then went down the hall to open the birds' room door so they could get out if they wanted. Finally, she took Tsunami, Kane, and Kilo's leashes in her hand and smiled at Charlie. "Okay. We can go when you're ready, now."
She nods and glances at the dogs, leaning down and petting them for a minute or two, waiting for Riverpaw to come back. She gave a tiny little smile and hummed. "Alright. I'm ready to go. You should probably lead the way since I have no idea where we're going." Charlie laughed quietly.
Riverpaw went and unlocked the front door, letting the dogs out in front of her and making sure Charlie and the others were out before she locked the door behind them. She mostly let Kane lead the way as they walked down the street. "We're not going far, just to that park we passed on the way here." She told Charlie.
She nods a little bit and stretches before letting the dogs out as well. She hummed as she moved alongside River, looking over the other curiously. She nods when River explained where they were going. "Sounds good. It's a dog park right?" She tilts her head slightly to the side.
"Basically, but there is a playground." Riverpaw answered, heading down the sidewalk to the street corner. It was a good walk from her street to the park, and she was already excited to be out with her buddies. "There's also this vendor who lets people rent toys in case you don't bring your own."
She nods a little bit as she walked beside River, "That's really neat." She smiles a little at the sight. "Maybe I can bring my animals at some point…" She muttered thoughtfully to herself. She glanced over at River again, "Does it cost anything?" She tilts her head slightly to the side. That would be useful, but it was probably just to rent, not buy.
"They charge on certain days, but it's never a lot. We can take what we'd like so long as it all goes back as in-tact as before." She smiled as they passed a few younger kids playing in a yard on the other side of the road. "And the neighborhood is pretty calm, so there's rarely an issue with people just stealing the things."
She nods a bit as she listens, looking around the park in curiosity. It was actually kind of nice to hang out with River… it was certainly better than being stuck at home alone. Her dad wouldn't be back for at least another month or so, so she had to keep herself busy until that happened.
When they eventually approached the corner, Kilo and Tsunami started to tug ahead a bit, so she gently pulled them back and waited for a car to pass by. She then led the group across the street. Trusting Kane to lead the pack for a bit, she looked over to check on Noble and Pepper. Pepper was oddly quiet for the most part, but she didn't see a problem in that. And Noble, unhindered by having to watch the smaller dog, was happily trotting along.
She glanced forward as the car passed them, looking down at the happy dogs, a pleased smile on her lips. Yeah… This was definitely going to be fun. She glances over at River. "So do you play with them or do you just relax when at the parks?" She asks curiously.
Riverpaw nodded. "Oh, I love playing with them! Especially if I take them by myself and there's no one else to play. But sometimes I just need to sit and enjoy the outside." She looked fondly at Tsunami. "Sometimes, if they can tell I'm not in an active mood, they'll all just sit with me."
