Asha

Asha ("Ah-shuh") is a main character in Barbarian's Hope. She is a female Sa-khui and Hemalo's mate. She is the mother of Shema. She also has a deceased daughter named Hashala.

## Description

Asha has long black hair that she wears in braids and vibrant blue skin. Hemalo describes her as having "laughing eyes."

She has long elegant hands.

## Personality

Asha is temperamental and proud, with a challenging or "thorny" personality. She likes to be in charge and in control, preferring her actions to be her idea. She has poor emotional control and struggles to express her feelings, often resorting to anger. She feels deeply and loves taking care of children.

When she was younger she loved to be the center of attention. Despite this she often finds people tiring and prefers to be alone or with little company. She isn't very good at cooking or working with fur.

She is close friends with Claire.

## History

Asha is Maylak's and Bek's cousin. Her mother was their father's sister.

She was a flirty growing up and pleasured mated with a number of the young hunters, including Aehako.

Over three years prior to the series, Asha resonated to Hemalo. At first, she was unhappy but came to care about and love him.

Sometime in the months before the series began Asha cave birth to Hashala, prematurely. Hashala in less than three days, too weak to take a khui. This weakens her bond with Hemalo and neither knew how to properly comfort each other. They began to fight.

During Barbarian Lover, she attempted to rekindle her relationship with Aehako who turned her down.

With the birth of the first new kit in Barbarian Mine, Asha's mental health worsen and she began to withdrawal. It grew worse with each new birth.

In Barbarian's Taming Hemalo broke the mating and moved back into the hunter's sleeping cave. Asha was placed with Maddie.

Asha spent much of the next months depressed. She retreated to her bed and would sleep often, grieving for her lost child.

In Barbarian's Taming, Asha and Maddie were rescued from collapsing tribal caves by Hemalo and Hassen.

She roomed with Farli and Chompy when they moved into Croatoan.

### Barbarian's Hope

Asha was still grieving over the loss of her first child, Hashala, and now the end of her mating with Hemalo. She took to retreating into herself and lashing out at others.

When the brutal season rolled around there is talk of another No-Poison Day with Claire in charge. Claire comes to Asha to ask for help organizing.

Asha is finally starting to feel more like herself with purpose when everything changes: she resonates to Hemalo again. Though she is terrified of losing another child and being rejected by her mate, she eventually decides she is glad for the chance at a new beginning. However, when she goes to discuss their future with Hemalo, he is gone.

Furious, Asha tracks him out into the snow, only discover he is being attacked by Metlaks. She chases them away and takes him to a hunter's cave. She is concerned to discover that the metlaks have been living in the cave and have left a baby behind. Asha begins to take care of the child, naming it Shasak. Hemalo awakens and they realize the need to be better at communicating their feelings.

The next day, the metlak parents return and Asha reluctantly gives back Shasak. The two stay for a while to ensure the Metlak family has food and to lead them to a more fertile valley. Eventually, they make their way back to Croatoan. The time away has given them further time to reconnect.

Once back at the village Asha and Hemalo fulfill their resonance.

Three years later, Asha gives birth to Shema.