The hike, including time for water breaks and rests, takes about two hours to complete.
Explanation:
First, we must identify the subject and the verb. In this sentence, the subject is “The hike” because it is the main thing being described or dealt with, and the main verb is “to take” because this word indicates action or state. Now, in order to have a subject-verb agreement, both the subject and the verb should match in number and person. The subject is in the third-person singular, the verb, then, should also be in third-person singular; therefore, the correct verb is “takes.”
When the large cat repeats the same words 'Better wait till Martin comes' It creates excitement and curosity in the readers mind that who this Martin is? So, the effect that this repetitive words give to the story is that it pushes the story to it's most exciting part.