Holding the torch up again, you peer into the statue's horrified face. Unfortunately, you can't tell if it's because it was running away from something, the transformation it was going through or another reason all together. Not wanting to think of another reason, you decide to go down the trapdoor because the wind has to come from somewhere, and given the storm raging outside, it makes the most sense there is an open door somewhere down there, or at least a window. Sidestepping the statue, a tight fit given the size of it and the narrowness of the corridor, you stand directly in front of door. The moaning comes again and the trapdoor opens, hitting you with a blast of air. It thinks closed again. There isn't any pattern to it, so you can safely assume that there's a relatively miniscule chance that it's some gigantic creature waiting in the dark down there to devour you, chew on your bones, and drink your blood.
Before lifting the trapdoor and heading down, you hold the torch out in front of you and glance warily at the dark passage ahead. It's darkness stretches out in front of you, seeming to go on forever. It looks like the gigantic maw of some bloodthirsty creature. Somehow, you feel if walk into the darkness, you'll never come out. Scolding yourself for playing such vicious mind games, you grasp the iron ring in the trapdoor and pull it up with all your might. A fast, cold air gust strikes you right in the face. The door falls back on the floor, clattering on the stone, echoing down the dark passage eerily. Looking down, you see simply a 4 ft. By 4 ft. Square of blackness, with no discernable bottom.
Thrusting your torch (and unprotected hand) into it, you try to see a stone floor, a light, or anything that tells you if you jump in, you won't fall forever. You swing your legs in, them dangling in the blackness, sitting on the edge of the hole. Still grasping the torch, you decide to bite the bullet. Lifting yourself up with your hands, you let go and plunge into the blackness, torch still in hand.
You fall for a few seconds before you unfurl your wings. Flapping them, you hang in the air before you are hit by a strong gust of air, coming from directly in front of you. It almost blows you away, but you're able to fight it. Flying forward uncertainly, you see a glimmer of at least some light ahead of you. Heart racing, you fly towards it as fast as you can, wings flapping madly. The light gets closer and closer until... you reach it. You smack into something with your head, sending a wave of pain through it. "Ow!" you cry out reflexively, hanging into the air for a moment. Looking up, you see you've hit a group of vertically-placed metal bars set in a hole in the wall. Peering out, you see the craggy, menacing mountains set back in the thunderhead-filled night sky. A gust of wind from the storm gusts in occasionally, blowing you back a few feet. You flap there in the air, glumly. You thought you almost had a way out there, but it's just a prison-esque window. You're about to fly back up towards the trapdoor, head out into the entrance hall (light-eyed creature or not), and leave this place, when you hear a low moaning.
"Help.... me..."
Your hair on the back of your neck standing up, you realize the plea came from somewhere below you in the blackness. But it's not complete blackness, the smallest point of light can be seen far below. Relieved you're not alone, you dive down towards the light, wings folded sleekly behind you. You pull up at the last moment and your feet hit some kind of slimy, wet stone floor. The small point of light turns out to be small candle resting on a disc of copper with a hole for a finger to hold it. The moan comes form somewhere very near. Snatching up the candle, you reach your hand out and hit a smooth, slimy stone wall. Running your hand along the wall as you walk, your wings fold up. Suddenly, your hand smacks into something warm. Yelling out in shock, you jump back, almost slipping on the slime that's covering the floor. The moan comes again from the thing on the wall. Holding the candle up closer, you almost scream at what you see.
It's a young man of about twenty. He's been chained to the wall by ringlets around his wrists and a circular one around his waist. His eyes are closed and you see, to your horror, many claw marks scratched over his chest, shoulders, and arms. Some of them are still leaking blood. Suddenly his eyes snap open. But they're not human, they are yellow with solid orbs of black pupil in the middle: wolf eyes. He opens his mouth, and the words spill from it in drunken fragments:
"Woman. Saw her. Chained. Wolf. Scratches. Transformation. You. Out." He moans, fear and desperation dripping from his voice. Suddenly, he screams loudly, echoing around the dark space of unfathomable size and rattling your ears. Dark fur has started sweeping down his form in a wave. Wherever the fur goes, changes start. His hands push out into gigantic claws. His muscle mass doubles, then doubles again, his restraints struggling to hold in his expanding form. With a sickening crack, his mouth and nose pop into a long lupine muzzle as the fur travels down it and up the rest of his head. Suddenly, the iron bonds snap and he pitches to all fours five feet in front of you. His completely wolf head lifts up, peering into yours. Tears welling in his eyes, he says in a growly voice, "Get... ooouuut..." before his eyes glaze over.
You saw it coming. Unfurling your wings, you're already lifting off the ground when he howls, a primal, terrifying sound. Rising in the air, you feel one claw graze the back of your heel. Screaming, you rise even more rapidly, casting one look back at the new werewolf crouched in the darkness, howling and lunging at the walls, yellow eyes gleaming in the dark like the ones in the doorway earlier. Soon, he is out of sight. You fly rapidly to the trapdoor, fly up through it, land back in the hallway behind the stature, and slam the trapdoor shut. Panting and sweating heavily, you back up against the statue and decide that was the final straw: not even the appearance of another figure could keep you in here: you're getting out as soon as you can.
That's when you hear the heavy breathing. There's no mistaking it for a trapdoor, statue, or something not alive now. And it's coming from the dark hallway directly in front of you. And it's close. Heart pounding, a loud step comes from only a few yards in front of you. You're so scared you can't move. The dark shape ahead finally comes near the light of your torch, squinting, you can see the figure is: