Cranes danced and pranced along the river banks, symbolizing their joy at the birth of Hong Mu Li. But unknown to the excited, just as the cranes danced a phoenix gave a gasping cry as it died. While the flowers and trees prospered, they sucked up nutrients from the grasses and animals around them. Those too weak due to the season died only to be buried under the falling snow that night and become fertilizer when spring came.
