He's nervous. He sat on the changing table for a while, and then in his bed, but then he went in the closet for the night and hasn't turned up yet. Usually he's at the door as soon as I get downstairs, wanting to go out. If he was outside for two below-freezing nights, he probably needs to catch up on his sleep in a secure location.
With a patch of fur missing, I wonder if he was in a fight, and if so, does he have injuries? He may be lying low and staying quiet because he is literally licking his wounds.
The fact that he came home at all is amazing.
Jake was out at the market, he’s contacting his superiors now that he has acquired ‘something important’.