Ed walked down the worn path at a leisurely pace. It had been a long time since he'd had the freedom to slow down and he was using that freedom as much as he could. He had no idea when the next time he'd find an opportunity to just relax again.

So he was walking, no idea where to, just walking. He'd already visited his mother's grave; he'd already stopped at the shops in town. He'd seen old friends and teachers, been to the places he hadn't been since a child. Caught up with the train conductors and shopkeepers. Now he was walking.

His thoughts were not focused on alchemy or saving the country, been there and done that, but the weather; it was a beautiful day out. The people of Amestris were safe, Father thwarted with minimal casualties, and even then only a few of his comrades had not survived. Things were finally getting back to normal, Roy had his sight back, Ling was human again, Ed had his arm and leg, and after sacrificing what was left of the stone in his body, and Al was returned, flesh and blood.

And now Ed was walking. He was nearing the edge of Resembol, there were fewer houses and, more often than not, when he did pass a building it was a farm. He knew most of the farmers, it was hard not to in a town with such a small population, but a few barns looked newer than the others. 'Probably people who got tired of life in the big cities,' Ed thought.

As a child, Ed hadn't really cared much for the farmers in town, they weren't terribly bright and they never learned alchemy, the ability to grow a seed into a fully grown plant in a matter of seconds would have made their lives a little easier. But now, older and a little wiser, Ed knew that alchemy wasn't as wonderful as he'd once thought. It didn't always make like easier. It wasn't always the best solution. To be blunt, it was probably one of the worst techniques ever invented, a way to instead hurt others for one's own gain. There was nothing equivalent to taking away a life. Was equivalent exchange even real?

Ed looked over at the crops of the nearest farm. Half were dead and the ones that were alive looked close to their untimely end. 'Farmers don't always receive an outcome equal to their efforts,' he thought, frowning. What was the point of working so hard when there was always a chance that it wouldn't pay off in the end?

Ed was so caught up in his thoughts; he didn't realize he had company until it made its presence known with a rather loud noise.

Jumping about a foot into the air, Ed whirled around to face his "assailant," hands poised to clap as soon as the danger was accessed. However, his hands fell limply to his sides as he saw who, or what to be precise, had snuck up on him.

It was a cow, a large one at that. Ed mentally slapped himself for allowing such an oversized creature to catch him unawares. If it had been one of the remaining few who still supported the now defunct military, well, Ed didn't want to think of what would have happened. It wouldn't have been good.

With a sigh, Ed reached out a hand to pet the beast. It eyed him with mild boredom, but allowed the action. It suffered in silence as Ed continued to pat it on the head, before huffing and leaning down to take a bite of the grass at Ed's feet.

"You've got it lucky. You don't have to think about things like being attacked or what's the right thing to do. You just get to amble around all day, eat grass and give milk. Well, that's only if you're a girl cow, and since we've just met, I think it would be rude of me to check out that detail. I suppose, to your owner, it's probably obvious, but I never studied up on cows. I know female cows have udders though, but like I said, it's probably rude."

The cow made no response, just shifted a bit to have easier access to grass it hadn't ingested yet. If Ed had looked, he would have seen the udders that proclaimed the cow female. If he'd had any knowledge of cows, he would have known at first glance that the cow was female. However, it made little difference. In the end, a cow was a cow, just as a human was a human.

"I wonder what cows think about…" Ed said, more to himself than to the cow. "Do you ever think about what you are going to do each day? Do you think about other cows? About the farmer that owns you? Or do you just go with the moment, with instinct? Do you want to be like humans? Be able to cook and drive and travel the world? Or do you really like being a cow? I think I might like it, not have to think about what I have to do, who I have to see. Just be able to exist."

The cow looked up and stared into Ed's eyes. He stopped talking as soon as they made eye contact. They stood for a moment, looking at each other. Then the cow nudged Ed with its large head, nearly causing him to fall. He laughed and pushed at it, rubbing it behind the ears with affection.

"You're right, I should quit being dramatic and get on with my life. But I think I want to hang around here for a little bit. It's nice to have a little break from all the mayhem. And once I go back to Central, with General Armstrong and Mustang duking it out for the position of Fuhrer, it's bound to be hectic. You don't mind do you?"

The cow made no comment, just pulled its head from Ed's hands and went for more grass. Ed laughed again and continued babbling, this time about things with less weight. What was Pinako making for dinner? Would Al like to come with him to Central, to see their friends? Was Winry going to return to Rush Valley? Had Ling become Emperor yet?

The entire time, Ed smiled. It had been a long time since he'd been able to feel so free.

Gift!fic for my wife, Yak. That woman owns my soul...