Talk:The Jungle Book (2016 film)/@comment-2145732-20160511231335/@comment-702085-20161112015518

My suggestion would be (even though it may sound impossible) that he didn't burn up completely, but only his fur caught fire and quickly ran off to a nearby lagoon to put it out. He could have went to lie low for a while until his fur grew back. Then he met up with Tabaqui, who told him about the pack of Dholes who were willing to assist him in any kind of crime, they chose to help him destroy Mowgli and his family.