The dragon Glaurung had turned Nargothrond as his residence in the following days of it's sacking, and it became clear to all the refugees that there was no turning back. Telpenaro got together with some of the refugees and for a while they figured out how to survive as a group and they grieved together, though they did not know about all of the others. Later they received news that the Orcs had killed all their captives as they were waylaid by the Haladin.
As some of the corpses were recognizable, some were not. It was not said that the corpses of Celuwen and his parents were found, but Telpenaro started to have his doubts that they yet lived, since he had tried to find any signs of them, but there was none.
Eventually many of the refugees would try to head towards Gondolin, but Telpenaro wanted to make his own home and living, since now he was not a subject to any Lord. He started to collect any things he could think of – ore, metal and some useful seeds. He traded with some of the Elves that were still around, and soon enough he had enough money for starting to build his own home. He did so in the more dense and rolling forest of Taur-en-Faroth, where he would stay as close to Nargothrond as possible and yet far enough for the dragon Glaurung to not notice him.
He already had taken his pendant with him and it was safe. He knew his surroundings very well and he wished that he could one day return to the halls of Nargothrond to reclaim the rest of what is his, but Glaurung stayed there for five years, and by then he already had used to the quiet, secretive life. His home was not large but it was well made and comfortable, and it had everything that was needed to make one Elf live healthy.
He could forge his own tools and weapons, and farm his own plants. He could hunt his own game and his garden was full of bushes that were heavy of fruit – like his mother once said, Yavanna was generous to him indeed. He wandered at times and accepted guests once in a while out of the scouting Elves who wished for news and directions. He also delighted them with some self made foods. ”If surviving in a remote place like this is a way of living, might as well make the best out of it”, he told them once about the meals.
Once he was travelling to meet the Elf merchants from Doriath, since there was one skill he didn't care to learn and that was tailoring clothes. When he came back, he saw his door open, and was surprised to discover that there were some uninvited guests inside. He quietly crept inside and saw some half eaten cured meat and fruits. He then saw a group of men and women inside his bedroom, but it did not look like they had good intentions.
”Aye, the rest of us need these clothes. I could throw away mine and wear these”, said one of the men and told the others to leave the room for a moment as he tried them on. Telpenaro quickly hid behind some furniture, and saw some ragged Men walking in the room, possibly some outcast brigands.
Then the man who was now wearing Telpenaro's old clothes (in a silly way) came out and looked pleased. ”Fancy, eh? And you told me that the owner of this house is home... Ha!”, he said while Telpenaro went around the house to surprise them. He pulled one of the tablecloths and made some noise with the falling candelabras which caught the brigands' attention. ”Hey! What was that?”, they exclaimed and came to check where the noise came from, as Telpenaro opened the windows and went outside.
He came back in from another route and slammed the door shut while using whistles and fake sounds echoing from the walls, as a mishievous breeze suitably blew in the long curtains in the room they were in. ”Let's get out of here, now! Leave everything!” they shouted and ran away from the house, and Telpenaro lost nothing but some eaten food and old underwear that he didn't miss.
He was not pleased of the burglars, but he also felt bored at times while being alone when he wasn't on the road to meet other Elves, and so it did not feel wrong to joke a little at their expense. He smiled and cleaned up the mess.
Soon afterwards the brigands told to the other raiding Men that the place was haunted. Since then he could live at his home more peacefully, until a certain group came along his path.
