Get item when NPC kills another

[litlamzetiv]

Perhaps you could have the target walk a path, and when he gets to the end of the path, despawn and repop as a quest mob that hands out the item you want. Halfway down the path, the mob is attacked and defends itself, and that's when you want to heal it.

The thought is, if it doesn't make it to the end, then it can't give out the item, and it can't make it to the end without living through the attack?