When everything went back to normal, I heard Joseph barked. I went downstairs and looked at Joseph to check on him. He’s facing the window. He’s staring at me. Which is odd because it was dark and no one can see me.
“Mistress, naririnig mo ba ako?” A man’s voice came from somewhere. Hininanap ko agad sa paligid ang nagsalita kaso wala akong nakita. Bumalik ang tingin ko kay Joseph na biglang nasa harap na ng bintana. Napahawak ako sa dibdib ko sa gulat. “Ako ito, si Joseph.” Sabi ulit nung boses.
“Joseph?” Lumapit pa lalo ako sa bintana para makita ng mabuti si Joseph. He nodded. Bumilis ang tibok ng puso ko.
Nagsasalita ang alaga ko!
Nagsasalita si Joseph! Can you believe it?
Agad akong tumakbo palabas ng bahay. Sa likod ako dumaan dahil alam kong hindi naman ako makakadaan sa front door dahil sa dami ng lock ni Ms. Eli at sya din ang may hawak ng mga susi. Nakita ko si Joseph na nag-aabang sakin. When he saw me, he lowered his head and said, “Mistress.” In a mannered way.
“Joseph?” I repeated in disbelief. He looked up at me.
“Yes, Mistress.” He said but his mouth never opened.
“Nagsasalita ka talaga?” Tanong ko habang lumalapit sa kanya.
“Technically, no, Mistress. Your mind can only hear me.” He said. Dahan dahan kong nilapat ang kamay ko sa noo ng aso ko, pumikit sya.
“Are you really a dog? What are you?”
“I’m a beast, Maria.” He opened his eyes and I saw with my two eyes how his pupil turned into a pure black.
“Ikaw ba yung sinasabi ni Veronica na—“
“Guardian mo.” Tuloy ni Joseph, “Lahat kayo ay binigyan ng sari-sariling guardian.”
“Paano ka dumating sa amin? Sa akin?” Usisa ko.
“Niregalo ako sa’yo ng Mommy mo nung 7th birthday mo diba? I was given to her through Veronica. Because you were an inborn tradition, the Guardian should be given at an earlier age.”
“Why?”
“For protection, Maria. I was protecting you and Eli all the time, even when there’s no danger.” He answered. Now, I understand why Joseph was so much different from other animals. I cupped his face.
“Thank you.. for always.” I said and kissed his temple.
“Ipapakita ko sa’yo ang totoong itsura ko.” He said. I nodded and stepped away a little.
The wind blew hard. Suddenly, Joseph appeared to be three times bigger than his fake form. Mukha parin naman syang aso, kaso nga lang kumapal yung balahibo nya sa bandang leeg tapos may suot syang crystal necklace. There were black writings on his furs that I don’t understand. And then, I gasped with the sight of his wings. Oh. So, Joseph can fly.
“You look beautiful.” I whispered. He looked at me proudly. Like he always do when he did something good. “What does these writing stands for?” I asked as I brushed his fur with my hand.
“The Protocol of the Guardians.” He answered. “Para hindi namin makalimutan ang dahilan kung bakit kami nandito sa mundo.”
“Are the guardians like me? Like us? With diamond blood?”
“No. We were just beasts selected from our world by Seline. Only those who are capable of guarding a tradition were chosen. It is an honor. The Guardians are the highest ranked beast in the world. And it’s our duty to protect the tradition.” Joseph said. Maybe his necklace indicates that he’s a Guardian. I am amazed by the fact that Joseph is not just the annoying-sobrang-takaw na aso. He’s specially beautiful beast for me.
