Living in a cave, a turtle enjoys roaming around the deep dark forest.

Living in a cave (present participle phrase – fronted)

A turtle (subj)
enjoys (verb)
roaming around the deep dark forest. (gerund phrase)

He(s) spends(v) his mornings (dir obj) in the river. (prep phrase, swimming is used as a noun).

The weather feels [particularly hot].
adverb phrase

Swimming along the river feels exhilarating for Ted.

Subject: The subject of the sentence is the gerund phrase “Swimming along the river.” This phrase functions as a noun, representing the activity of paddling.
Verb: The main verb is “feels.” This is a linking verb, connecting the subject to the subject complement.
Subject Complement: The subject complement is the adjective “exhilarating.” This adjective describes how the activity of paddling feels to Ted.
Prepositional Phrase: The prepositional phrase “for Ted” further clarifies who experiences the exhilarating feeling.

Crawling out from the water, Ted looks up.
One of the birds, flapping its wings, lands gently onto the ground.

One of the birds – subj
flapping its wings – present participle phrase as non-restrictive
lands – verb
floating gently onto the ground – present participle phrase

Suddenly, the bird turns into a big phoenix.

The phoenix spews fire, waving his head to and fro.

The forest animals runs away, begging for their lives!