The theme is a very clever way of thinking about cycles! And the art is amazing, I love that hand drawn style. This was a real pleasure to play and look at.
In the river, I almost got stuck behind a rock forever but managed to spam out of it. The river level control might have been better with a reversed control to jump back instead of forward.
It was nice that there was a clear ending and scoring criteria, it made me feel like I knew what was happening.
Great entry!