Jon hadn't asked himself the question before, but now that it surfaced in his mind, the answer seemed obvious. The creatures must have sensed their leader's death and were fighting to take his place.
There could be no other explanation. The struggle was a battle for dominance, for the throne of the forest.
Maybe that was how the last snake had ascended—by seizing the opportunity when chaos ruled because Jon had even seen smaller blue snakes spitting poison among them.
But that didn't matter now. Now, it was time to make sure his own group was ready, their strength raised. He couldn't just throw them into the fray like he did for the group before, so he stepped forward, stretching out his hand.